Design, synthesis and early structure–activity relationship of farnesyltransferase inhibitors which mimic both the peptidic and the prenylic substrate

Inhibition of the farnesylation of ras proteins has been identified as a promising target in tumor therapy. Only a few farnesyltransferase inhibitors are bisubstrate analogues displaying features of both substrates, the farnesylpyrophosphate and the C-terminal CAAX-tetrapeptide sequence of the ras protein. These known bisubstrate analogues consist of an AAX-tripeptide and a farnesyl residue connected through various linkers. We have developed a class of novel compounds that mimic a bisubstrate inhibitor structure and that differ from the known ones by lacking peptidic or farnesylic substructures. Long chain fatty acids and aryl-substituted carboxylic acids were used as farnesyl surrogates. These structures were linked to isoleucine amide, benzoic acid amide, N-substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides and Nα-aryl-substituted methionine derivatives, respectively, which function as AA- or AAX-mimetics.