The serum and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase (SGK) family has been implicated in the regulation of many cellular processes downstream of the PI3K pathway. It plays a crucial role in PI3K-mediated tumorigenesis, making it a potential therapeutic target for cancer. SGK family consists of three isoforms (SGK1, SGK2, and SGK3), which have high sequence homology in the kinase domain and similar substrate specificity with the AKT family. In order to identify novel compounds capable of inhibiting SGK3 activity, a high-throughput screening campaign against 50,400 small molecules was conducted using a fluorescence-based kinase assay that has a Z' factor above 0.5. It identified 15 hits (including nitrogen-containing aromatic, flavone, hydrazone, and naphthalene derivatives) with IC₅₀ values in the low micromolar to sub-micromolar range. Four compounds with a similar scaffold (i.e., a hydrazone core) were selected for structural modification and 18 derivatives were synthesized. Molecular modeling was then used to investigate the structure-activity relationship (SAR) and potential protein-ligand interactions. As a result, a series of SGK inhibitors that are active against both SGK1 and SGK3 were developed and important functional groups that control their inhibitory activity identified.

中文翻译：

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使用新型支架鉴定，结构修饰和表征潜在的小分子SGK3抑制剂。

血清和糖皮质激素调节激酶（SGK）家族已参与PI3K途径下游许多细胞过程的调节。它在PI3K介导的肿瘤发生中起着至关重要的作用，使其成为潜在的癌症治疗靶标。SGK家族由三种同工型（SGK1，SGK2和SGK3）组成，它们在激酶结构域具有高度的序列同源性，并且与AKT家族具有相似的底物特异性。为了鉴定能够抑制SGK3活性的新型化合物，使用Z'因子大于0.5的基于荧光的激酶测定法针对50,400个小分子进行了高通量筛选。它用IC ₅₀鉴定了15种命中化合物（包括含氮芳族化合物，黄酮，和萘衍生物）值在低微摩尔至亚微摩尔范围内。选择了具有相似支架（即a核）的四种化合物进行结构修饰，并合成了18种衍生物。然后使用分子模型研究结构-活性关系（SAR）和潜在的蛋白质-配体相互作用。结果，开发了对SGK1和SGK3均具有活性的一系列SGK抑制剂，并确定了控制其抑制活性的重要官能团。