ArticleChemical science2023
Identification of non-conventional small molecule degraders and stabilizers of squalene synthase.
Article in Chemical science, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Contribution of Cholesterol and Squalene Synthase in Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms, Lipid Rafts and Therapeutic Approaches.Medicinal research reviews · 2026Review
- Ketoboronate as a Minimal Covalent-Reversible Tag for Targeted Lysosomal Degradation of Extracellular and Membrane Proteins.Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2025Article
- Unraveling the Potential Pathogenic Role of Squalene Synthase (SQS) in Lung Cancer Using Enzyme Inhibitors as Molecular Tools.ACS medicinal chemistry letters · 2025Article
- Chemoproteomics-EnabledJournal of the American Chemical Society · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Squalene synthase (SQS) is an essential enzyme in the mevalonate pathway, which controls cholesterol biosynthesis and homeostasis. Although catalytic inhibitors of SQS have been developed, none have been approved for therapeutic use so far. Herein we sought to develop SQS degraders using targeted protein degradation (TPD) to lower overall cellular cholesterol content. We found that KY02111, a small molecule ligand of SQS, selectively causes SQS to degrade in a proteasome-dependent manner. Unexpectedly, compounds based on the same scaffold linked to E3 ligase recruiting ligands led to SQS stabilization. Proteomic analysis found KY02111 to reduce only the levels of SQS, while lipidomic analysis determined that KY02111-induced degradation lowered cellular cholesteryl ester content. Stabilizers shielded SQS from its natural turnover without recruiting their matching E3 ligase or affecting enzymatic target activity. Our work shows that degradation of SQS is possible despite a challenging biological setting and provides the first chemical tools to degrade and stabilize SQS.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.