Discovery of a 2,4-diamino-7-aminoalkoxyquinazoline as a potent and selective inhibitor of histone lysine methyltransferase G9a

SAR exploration of the 2,4-diamino-6,7-dimethoxyquinazoline template led to the discovery of 8 (UNC0224) as a potent and selective G9a inhibitor. A high resolution X-ray crystal structure of the G9a-8 complex, the first cocrystal structure of G9a with a small molecule inhibitor, was obtained. The cocrystal structure validated our binding hypothesis and will enable structure-based design of novel inhibitors. 8 is a useful tool for investigating the biology of G9a and its roles in chromatin remodeling.