Lysine acetylation is a pivotal mechanism in chromatin processes and the regulation of gene transcription. The acetylated lysine residues of histones are exclusively recognized by bromodomains (BRDs) known as epigenetic reader. Proteins containing BRDs undergo a post-translational modification (PTM) with development of cellular signaling and disease biology. The bromo and extra-terminal (BET) proteins are the second subfamily, which play important roles in cellular proliferation, cell cycle progression and chromatin compaction. Recently, a variety of small molecules have been reported to interact with the BET family proteins and accelerate the validation of BET proteins as druggable targets for treatment of cancers, inflammation and related diseases. In this review, we will summarize the small-molecule inhibitors in clinical and preclinical studies of the BET family bromodomains and their medicinal implications.

The estrogen-related receptors (ERRs), comprising ERRα, ERRβ and ERRγ, are the members of the nuclear receptor superfamily, which have been functionally implicated in estrogen signal pathway in various patterns. However, no natural ligand of ERRs has been identified to data, so identification of the synthetic modulators (inverse agonist and agonist) of ERRs would be highly effective in the treatment of estrogen-related pathologies, such as diabetes, breast cancer and osteoporosis. This review summarizes the structures and biological functions of ERR subtypes, and the progress in designing the small molecular modulators of ERRs as well as the detailed description of available co-crystal structures of the LBD of ERRs in three distinct states: unligand, inverse agonist bound, and agonist bound.

Enoyl acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase (FabI) is a potential target for the development of antibacterial agents. Three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationships (3D-QSAR) for substituted formamides series of FabI inhibitors were investigated using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) techniques. Pharmacophore and molecular docking methods were used for construction of the molecular alignments. A training set of 36 compounds was performed to create the 3D-QSAR models and their external predictivity was proven using a test set of 11 compounds. Graphical interpretation of the results revealed important structural features of the formamides related to the active site of FabI. The results may be exploited for further optimization of the design of new potent FabI inhibitors.