Allosteric regulation of DNA binding and target residence time drive the cytotoxicity of phthalazinone-based PARP-1 inhibitors

Allosteric coupling between the DNA binding site to the NAD⁺-binding pocket drives PARP-1 activation. This allosteric communication occurs in the reverse direction such that NAD⁺ mimetics can enhance PARP-1's affinity for DNA, referred to as type I inhibition. The cellular effects of type I inhibition are unknown, largely because of the lack of potent, membrane-permeable type I inhibitors. Here we identify the phthalazinone inhibitor AZ0108 as a type I inhibitor. Unlike the structurally related inhibitor olaparib, AZ0108 induces replication stress in tumorigenic cells. Synthesis of analogs of AZ0108 revealed features of AZ0108 that are required for type I inhibition. One analog, Pip6, showed similar type I inhibition of PARP-1 but was ∼90-fold more cytotoxic than AZ0108. Washout experiments suggest that the enhanced cytotoxicity of Pip6 compared with AZ0108 is due to prolonged target residence time on PARP-1. Pip6 represents a new class of PARP-1 inhibitors that may have unique anticancer properties.