Chemoproteomic Profiling of Clickable Fumarate Probes for Target Identification and Mechanism of Action Studies

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an established oral therapy for multiple sclerosis worldwide. Although the clinical efficacy of these fumarate esters has been extensively investigated, the mode of action and pharmacokinetics of fumarates have not been fully elucidated due to their broad-spectrum reactivity and complex metabolism in vivo. To better understand the mechanism of action of DMF and its active metabolite, monomethyl fumarate (MMF), we designed and utilized clickable probes to visualize and enrich probe-modified proteins. We further perform quantitative chemoproteomics analysis for proteome-wide target identification and validate several unique and shared targets of DMF and MMF, which provide insight into the reactivity, selectivity, and target engagement of fumarates.