Exploration into the Cellular Target of 4-Trifluoromethoxy Chalcone via DARTS Method

Jordan Stacy, Trevor Stantliff / jstacy@bellarmine.edu / Faculty Advisor: Amanda Krzysiak

Cellular drug target discovery is an important step in any drugs journey from bench to bedside. This is true for our labs molecule of interest, the Chalcone. The Chalcone molecule and its derivatives have been identified as small, plant-derived secondary metabolites that, when interacting with human cancer cell lines, trigger apoptotic pathways leading to varying levels of cell death. One derivative in particular, 4-Trifluoromethoxy Chalcone (4TFM), was identified through screenings as inducing the highest death rate in A549 cancer cells, in conjunction with having the lowest IC50, making it a good candidate to use in searching for the currently unknown cellular target of the Chalcone. Using Drug Affinity Response Target Stability (DARTS) Method, we have begun that process, leveraging the fact that a protein's ligand is able to shield its target from proteolysis at a specific concentration. Incubation with and without drug can produce conserved bands observable via gel electrophoresis, providing potential targeted and protected proteins that can be identified through Mass Spectrometry. For 4TMF, we are currently narrowing in on a library of potential protein targets in the hope to ultimately establish the cellular component the small molecule is interacting with, creating its signature anti-cancer effects.

Accepted for presentation at the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Conference, April 2021.