Design and synthesis of dipeptide nitriles as reversible and potent Cathepsin S inhibitors.

The specificity of the immune response relies on processing of foreign proteins and presentation of antigenic peptides at the cell surface. Inhibition of antigen presentation, and the subsequent activation of T-cells, should, in theory, modulate the immune response. The cysteine protease Cathepsin S performs a fundamental step in antigen presentation and therefore represents an attractive target for inhibition. Herein, we report a series of potent and reversible Cathepsin S inhibitors based on dipeptide nitriles. These inhibitors show nanomolar inhibition of the target enzyme as well as cellular potency in a human B cell line. The first X-ray crystal structure of a reversible inhibitor cocrystallized with Cathepsin S is also reported.