Dual-Specificity Phosphatase CDC25A/B Inhibitor Identified from a Focused Library with Nonelectrophilic Core Structure.

Focused libraries of enamine derivatives with a nonacidic, nonelectrophilic core structure were screened for inhibitors of dual-specificity protein phosphatases, and an o-hydroxybenzyl derivative RE44 (10d) was identified as a selective inhibitor of CDC25A/B. This inhibitor induced cell-cycle arrest of tsFT210 cells at the G2/M phase and inhibited dephosphorylation of the CDC25B substrate CDK1. Unlike most quinone-based inhibitors, 10d does not generate reactive oxygen species.