Heat Shock Cognate 70 kDa Protein Is the Target of Tetradecyl 2,3-Dihydroxybenzoate for Neuritogenic Effect in PC12 Cells

Tetradecyl 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate (ABG-001) is a lead compound derived from gentisides with a remarkable neuritogenic activity. However, the target of ABG-001 is yet to be defined to date. In this study, the potential target of ABG-001 was investigated via an activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) analysis, which is a chemical proteomic method for target identification by using chemical probes. Results indicated that the potential target proteins of ABG-001 were heat shock cognate 70 kDa protein (Hsc70), 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78), and 14-3-3 theta protein. Then, the potential target of ABG-001 was confirmed by using inhibitors, the cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) and small-interfering RNA (siRNA) analysis. The inhibitor of Hsc70 and siRNA significantly decreased the neurite outgrowth induced by ABG-001. Furthermore, ABG-001 induced neurite outgrowth was reduced by siRNA against Hsc70, and the results of CETSA suggested that Hsc70 showed a significant thermal stability-shifted effect upon ABG-001 treatment. These results indicated that Hsc70 is the target protein of ABG-001 in PC12 cells.