Bortezomib Targets Sp Transcription Factors in Cancer Cells

Bortezomib alone and in combination with other anticancer agents are extensively used for chemotherapeutic treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) patients and are being developed for treating other cancers. Bortezomib acts through multiple pathways, and in this study with ANBL-6 and RPMI 8226 MM cells we show that bortezomib inhibited growth and induced apoptosis and that this was accompanied by downregulation of specificity protein (Sp) 1, Sp3, and Sp4 transcription factors that are overexpressed in these cells. Similar results were observed in pancreatic and colon cancer cells. The functional importance of this pathway was confirmed by showing that individual knockdown of Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4 in MM cells inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis, and that this correlates with the results of previous studies in pancreatic, colon, and other cancer cell lines. The mechanism of bortezomib-mediated downregulation of Sp transcription factors in MM was due to the induction of caspase-8 and upstream factors, including Fas-associated death domain. These results demonstrate that an important underlying mechanism of action of bortezomib was due to the activation of caspase-8-dependent downregulation of Sp1, Sp3, Sp4, and pro-oncogenic Sp-regulated genes.

Coactivation of estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha)/Sp1 by vitamin D receptor interacting protein 150 (DRIP150)

Vitamin D receptor interacting protein (DRIP150) coactivates estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha)-mediated transactivation in breast cancer cell lines transfected with a construct (pERE(3)) containing three estrogen responsive elements (EREs). In this study, we show that DRIP150 also coactivates ERalpha/Sp1-mediated transactivation in ZR-75, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells transfected with a construct (pSp1(3)) containing three consensus GC-rich motifs. Studies on coactivation of wild-type and variant ERalpha/Sp1 by DRIP150 indicates that the DNA-binding domain and helix 12 in the ligand binding domain of ERalpha are required and the coactivation response is squelched by overexpressing an NR-box peptide that contains two LXXLL motifs from GRIP2. In contrast, coactivation of ERalpha/Sp1 by wild-type and mutant DRIP150 expression plasmids show that coactivation of ERalpha/Sp1 by DRIP150 is independent of the NR-boxes. Deletion analysis of DRIP150 demonstrates that coactivation requires an alpha-helical NIFSEVRVYN (amino acids 795-804) motif within 23 amino acid sequence (789-811) in the central region of DRIP150 and similar results were obtained for coactivation of ERalpha by DRIP150. Thus, although different domains of ERalpha are required for hormone-dependent activation of ERalpha and ERalpha/Sp1, coactivation of these transcription factors by DRIP150 requires the alpha-helical amino acids 795-804. This is the first report of a coactivator that enhances ERalpha/Sp1-mediated transactivation in breast cancer cells.

Activation of COUP-TFI by a Novel Diindolylmethane Derivative

Chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor I (COUP-TFI) is an orphan receptor and member of the nuclear receptor superfamily. Among a series of methylene substituted diindolylmethanes (C-DIMs) containing substituted phenyl and heteroaromatic groups, we identified 1,1-bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(4-pyridyl)-methane (DIM-C-Pyr-4) as an activator of COUP-TFI. Structure activity studies with structurally diverse heteroaromatic C-DIMs showed that the pyridyl substituted compound was active and the 4-pyridyl substituent was more potent than the 2- or 3-pyridyl analogs in transactivation assays in breast cancer cells. The DIM-C-Pyr-4 activated chimeric GAL4-COUP-TFI constructs containing full length, C- or N-terminal deletions, and transactivation was inhibited by phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase and protein kinase A inhibitors. However, DIM-C-Pyr-4 also induced transactivation and interactions of COUP-TFI and steroid receptor coactivators-1 and -2 in mammalian two-hybrid assays, and ligand-induced interactions of the C-terminal region of COUP-TFI were not affected by kinase inhibitors. We also showed that DIM-C-Pyr-4 activated COUP-TFI-dependent early growth response 1 (Egr-1) expression and this response primarily involved COUP-TFI interactions with Sp3 and to a lesser extent Sp1 bound to the proximal region of the Egr-1 promoter. Modeling studies showed interactions of DIM-C-Pyr-4 within the ligand binding domain of COUP-TFI. This report is the first to identify a COUP-TFI agonist and demonstrate activation of COUP-TFI-dependent Egr-1 expression.

Transcription factors specificity protein and nuclear receptor 4A1 in pancreatic cancer

Specificity protein (Sp) transcription factors (TFs) Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4, and the orphan nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1) are highly expressed in pancreatic tumors and Sp1 is a negative prognostic factor for pancreatic cancer patient survival. Results of knockdown and overexpression of Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4 in pancreatic and other cancer lines show that these TFs are individually pro-oncogenic factors and loss of one Sp TF is not compensated by other members. NR4A1 is also a pro-oncogenic factor and both NR4A1 and Sp TFs exhibit similar functions in pancreatic cancer cells and regulate cell growth, survival, migration and invasion. There is also evidence that Sp TFs and NR4A1 regulate some of the same genes including survivin, epidermal growth factor receptor, PAX3-FOXO1, α5- and α6-integrins, β1-, β3- and β4-integrins; this is due to NR4A1 acting as a cofactor and mediating NR4A1/Sp1/4-regulated gene expression through GC-rich gene promoter sites. Several studies show that drugs targeting Sp downregulation or NR4A1 antagonists are highly effective inhibitors of Sp/NR4A1-regulated pathways and genes in pancreatic and other cancer cells, and the triterpenoid celastrol is a novel dual-acting agent that targets both Sp TFs and NR4A1.

Flavone and Hydroxyflavones Are Ligands That Bind the Orphan Nuclear Receptor 4A1 (NR4A1)

It was recently reported that the hydroxyflavones quercetin and kaempferol bind the orphan nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1, Nur77) and act as antagonists in cancer cells and tumors, and they inhibit pro-oncogenic NR4A1-regulated genes and pathways. In this study, we investigated the interactions of flavone, six hydroxyflavones, seven dihydroxyflavones, three trihydroxyflavones, two tetrahydroxyflavones, and one pentahydroxyflavone with the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of NR4A1 using direct-binding fluorescence and an isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) assays. Flavone and the hydroxyflavones bound NR4A1, and their KD values ranged from 0.36 µM for 3,5,7-trihydroxyflavone (galangin) to 45.8 µM for 3'-hydroxyflavone. KD values determined using ITC and KD values for most (15/20) of the hydroxyflavones were decreased compared to those obtained using the fluorescence assay. The results of binding, transactivation and receptor-ligand modeling assays showed that KD values, transactivation data and docking scores for these compounds are highly variable with respect to the number and position of the hydroxyl groups on the flavone backbone structure, suggesting that hydroxyflavones are selective NR4A1 modulators. Nevertheless, the data show that hydroxyflavone-based neutraceuticals are NR4A1 ligands and that some of these compounds can now be repurposed and used to target sub-populations of patients that overexpress NR4A1.

3-methylcholanthrene induces differential recruitment of aryl hydrocarbon receptor to human promoters

The paper by Pansoy and coworkers investigates the effects of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) ligand 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC) on recruitment of the AHR complex to human promoters in T47D breast cancer cells. The results are particularly important because they can be compared with a prior study using the potent AHR ligand 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in the same cell line. The chromatin immunoprecipitation and promoter-focused microarrays (ChIP-chip) demonstrated that after treatment of T47D cells with 1microM 3MC, there were 241 AHR-3MC bound regions and many of these contained AHR-responsive elements. However, they also observed interactions with regions that do not contain these responsive elements, and subsequent analysis of selected target genes show that 3MC-dependent AHR binding did not necessarily predict Ah-responsiveness because induction, repression, and no effects were observed. A prior study with TCDD demonstrated that both 3MC and TCDD induced AHR binding to 127 common regions; however, there were significant differences in ligand (3MC vs. TCDD)-dependent AHR bound regions. The results illustrate the complexity of AHR signaling and also demonstrate that compared with TCDD as a reference ligand, 3MC is a selective AHR modulator.

Bis-indole-derived NR4A1 antagonists inhibit colon tumor and splenic growth and T-cell exhaustion

There is evidence that the orphan nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1, Nur77) is overexpressed in exhausted CD8 + T cells and regulates PD-L1 in tumors. This study investigated the effects of potent bis-indole-derived NR4A1 antagonists on reversing T-cell exhaustion and downregulating PD-L1 in colon tumors/cells. NR4A1 antagonists inhibited colon tumor growth and downregulated expression of PD-L1 in mouse colon MC-38-derived tumors and cells. TILs from MC-38 cell-derived colon tumors and splenic lymphocytes exhibited high levels of the T-cell exhaustion markers including PD-1, 2B4, TIM3+ and TIGIT and similar results were observed in the spleen, and these were inhibited by NR4A1 antagonists. In addition, treatment with NR4A1 antagonists induced cytokine activation markers interferon γ, granzyme B and perforin mRNAs and decreased TOX, TOX2 and NFAT in TIL-derived CD8 + T cells. Thus, NR4A1 antagonists decrease NR4A1-dependent pro-oncogenic activity and PD-L1 expression in colon tumors and inhibit NR4A1-dependent T-cell exhaustion in TILs and spleen and represent a novel class of mechanism-based drugs that enhance immune surveillance in tumors.

Nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1) antagonists target paraspeckle component 1 (PSPC1) in cancer cells

Paraspeckles compound 1 (PSPC1) is a multifunctional protein that plays an important role in cancer cells, where PSPC1 is a master regulator of pro-oncogenic responses that includes activation of TGFβ (TGFβ1), TGFβ-dependent EMT, and metastasis. The pro-oncogenic activities of PSPC1 closely resembled those observed for the orphan nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1, Nur77) and knockdown of NR4A1 decreased expression of PSPC1 in MDA-MB-231 breast, H1299 lung, and SNU449 liver cancer cells. Similar results were observed in these same cell lines after treatment with bisindole-derived (CDIMs) NR4A1 antagonists. Moreover, PSPC1-dependent regulation of TGFβ, genes associated with cancer stem cells and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) were also downregulated after NR4A1 silencing or treatment of breast, lung, and liver cancer cells with CDIM/NR4A1 antagonists. Results of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays suggest that NR4A1 regulates PSPC1 through interaction with an NBRE sequence in the PSPC1 gene promoter. These results coupled with in vivo studies showing that NR4A1 antagonists inhibit breast tumor growth and downregulate PSPC1 in tumors indicate that the pro-oncogenic nuclear PSPC1 factor can be targeted by CDIM/NR4A1 antagonists.

Dual nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1/NR4A2) ligands inhibit glioblastoma growth and target TWIST1

1,1-Bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(3,5-disubstitutedphenyl)methane (DIM-3,5) compounds are dual receptor ligands that bind both orphan nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1) and NR4A2. Knockdown of NR4A1 or NR4A2 by RNA interference in glioblastoma (GBM) cells decreased growth and induced apoptosis and comparable effects were observed for DIM-3,5 analogs, which exhibit inverse agonist activity and inhibit NR4A1- and NR4A2-mediated pro-oncogenic activity. Knockdown of NR4A1 or NR4A2 or treatment with DIM-3,5 analogs also decreased expression of TWIST1 mRNA and protein in GBM cells by 40%-90%.The proximal region of the TWIST1 gene promoter contains functional GC-rich binding sites that bind Sp1 and Sp4, and knockdown of these transcription factors also decreased TWIST1 expression in GBM cells. Further analysis by chromatin immunoprecipitation, protein-protein coimmunoprecipitation, and binding assays demonstrated that NR4A1/NR4A2 coregulate TWIST1 gene expression as ligand-dependent cofactors of Sp1 and Sp4, which interact with cis proximal GC-rich sites in the TWIST1 gene promoter. In vivo studies show that DIM-3,5 dual NR4A1/2 inverse agonists also reduced intratumoral TWIST1 expression while significantly prolonging survival of mice in a syngeneic mouse model of GBM, demonstrating that these ligands are promising new agents for targeting TWIST1 and treating GBM. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The TWIST1 gene is a pro-oncogenic factor that regulates epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in glioblastoma cells. This paper shows that the orphan nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1) and NR4A2 regulate TWIST1 expression, which can be targeted by bis-indole-derived dual NR4A1/2 inverse agonists.

Piperlongumine is a ligand for the orphan nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1)

Piperlongumine and derivatives are being developed as anticancer agents which act primarily as inducers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cancer cell lines. Many of the anticancer activities of piperlongumine resemble those observed for bis-indole derived compounds that bind the orphan nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1) and act as inverse receptor agonists to inhibit NR4A1-regulated pro-oncogenic pathways and genes. In this study we show that like other NR4A1 inverse agonists piperlongumine inhibited RKO, SW480 and HCT116 colon cancer cell growth migration and invasion and induced apoptosis. Piperlongumine also downregulated the pro-reductant isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and thioredoxin domain-containing 5 (TXNDC5) gene products resulting in the induction of ROS as previously observed for other inverse NR4A1 agonists. ROS also induced sestrin2 and this resulted in activation of AMPK phosphorylation and inhibition of mTOR pathway signaling. It has previously been reported that these pathways/genes are also regulated by inverse NR4A1 agonists or by knockdown of NR4A1. We also observed that piperlongumine directly bound NR4A1, inhibited NR4A1-dependent transactivation and interactions of the NR4A1/Sp1 complex bound to the GC-rich promoter of the NR4A1-regulated G9a gene.

Recent advances in understanding endocrine disruptors: DDT and related compounds

Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are environmental contaminants that modulate estrogen, androgen, and thyroid hormone receptor signaling and it has been hypothesized that human exposures to EDCs induce multiple adverse health effects. Some of these responses include male and female reproductive tract problems, obesity, and neurological/neurobehavior deficits. Extensive laboratory animal and some human studies support the EDC hypothesis. However, there is a debate among scientists and regulators regarding the adverse human health impacts of EDCs and this review highlights and gives examples of some of the concerns.

Hydroxylated Chalcones as Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Agonists: Structure-Activity Effects

Hydroxylated chalcones are phytochemicals which are biosynthetic precursors of flavonoids and their 1,3-diaryl-prop-2-en-1-one structure is used as a scaffold for drug development. In this study, the structure-dependent activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-responsive CYP1A1, CYP1B1, and UGT1A1 genes was investigated in Caco2 colon cancer cells and in non-transformed young adult mouse colonocytes (YAMC) cells. The effects of a series of di- and trihydroxychalcones as AhR agonists was structure dependent with maximal induction of CYP1A1, CYP1B1, and UGT1A1 in Caco2 cells observed for compounds containing 2,2'-dihydroxy substituents and this included 2,2'-dihydroxy-, 2,2',4'-trihydroxy-, and 2,2',5'-trihydroxychalcones. In contrast, 2',4,5'-, 2'3',4'-, 2',4,4'-trihydroxy, and 2',3-, 2',4-, 2',4'-, and 2',5-dihydroxychalcones exhibited low to non-detectable AhR activity in Caco2 cells. In addition, all of the hydroxychalcones exhibited minimal to non-detectable activity in YAMC cells, whereas 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) induced CYP1A1, CYP1B1, and UGT1A1 in Caco2 and YAMC cells. The activity of AhR-active chalcones was confirmed by determining their effects in AhR-deficient Caco2 cells. In addition, 2,2'-dihydroxychalcone induced CYP1A1 protein and formation of an AhR-DNA complex in an in vitro assay. Simulation and modeling studies of hydroxylated chalcones confirmed their interactions with the AhR ligand-binding domain and were consistent with their structure-dependent activity as AhR ligands. Thus, this study identifies hydroxylated chalcones as AhR agonists with potential for these phytochemicals to impact AhR-mediated colonic pathways.

Structure-activity relationships among mono- and dihydroxy flavones as aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists or antagonists in CACO2 cells

Unsubstituted flavone induced CYP1A1, CYP1B1 and UGT1A1 gene expression in Caco2 cells and was characterized as an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist. The structure-activity relationships among 15 mono- and dihydroxyflavones showed that addition of one or two hydroxyl groups resulted in active (e.g.: 5- and 6- mono- and 5,6-dihydroxyflavones) and inactive (e.g.: 7-mono, 7,4' and 6,4'-dihydroxyflavones) AhR ligands. Ligand docking studies of flavone, mono- and dihydroxyflavones to the human AhR resulted in similar docking scores that varied from -3.48 to -4.58 kcal/mol and these values did not distinguish between AhR-active and AhR-inactive mono- and dihydroxyflavones. The AhR-inactive flavones were subsequently investigated as AhR antagonists by determining their activities as inhibitors of TCDD-induced expression of CYP1A1, CYP1AA2 and UGT 1A1 gene expression in Caco2 cells. Initial studies with 7,4'-dihydroxyflavone showed that this compound was an AhR antagonist in Caco2 cells and resembled the activity of the classical AhR antagonist CH223191. With few exceptions most of the remaining AhR-inactive compounds in terms of inducing AhR responsive genes were also AhR antagonists. Thus, based on modeling studies, mono- and dihydroxyflavones bind with similar affinities to the AhR and exhibit AhR agonist or antagonist activities, however, the structural requirements (substitution patterns) for predicting these opposing activities were not apparent and could only be determined using bioassays.

Activation of Genes by Nuclear Receptor/Specificity Protein (Sp) Interactions in Cancer

The human nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily consists of 48 genes that are ligand-activated transcription factors that play a key role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and in pathophysiology. NRs are important drug targets for both cancer and non-cancer endpoints as ligands for these receptors can act as agonists, antagonists or inverse agonists to modulate gene expression. With two exceptions, the classical mechanism of action of NRs involves their interactions as monomers, dimers or heterodimers with their cognate response elements (cis-elements) in target gene promoters. Several studies showed that a number of NR-regulated genes did not directly bind their corresponding cis-elements and promoter analysis identified that NR-responsive gene promoters contained GC-rich sequences that bind specificity protein 1 (Sp1), Sp3 and Sp4 transcription factors (TFs). This review is focused on identifying an important sub-set of Sp-regulated genes that are indirectly coregulated through interactions with NRs. Subsequent studies showed that many NRs directly bind Sp1 (or Sp3 and Sp4), the NR/Sp complexes bind GC-rich sites to regulate gene expression and the NR acts as a ligand-modulated nuclear cofactor. In addition, several reports show that NR-responsive genes contain cis-elements that bind both Sp TFs and NRs, and mutation of either cis-element results in loss of NR-responsive (inducible and/or basal). Regulation of these genes involves interactions between DNA-bound Sp TFs with proximal or distal DNA-bound NRs, and, in some cases, other nuclear cofactors are required for gene expression. Thus, many NR-responsive genes are regulated by NR/Sp complexes, and these genes can be targeted by ligands that target NRs and also by drugs that induce degradation of Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4.

Expression of Prooncogenic Nuclear Receptor 4A (NR4A)-Regulated Genes β1-Integrin and G9a Inhibited by Dual NR4A1/2 Ligands

Bis-indole-derived compounds including 1,1-bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(3,5-disubstitutedphenyl)methane (DIM-3,5) analogs bind both orphan nuclear receptors 4A1 (NR4A1) and NR4A2, and DIM-3,5 compounds act as dual receptor inverse agonists and inhibit both NR4A1- and NR4A2-regulated responses. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays show that β1-integrin and the methyltransferase gene G9a are regulated by both NR4A1 and NR4A2 acting as cofactors for Sp1- and Sp4-dependent gene expression. DIM-3,5 treatment results in the loss of one or more of these nuclear factors from the β1-integrin and G9a promoters. Single-cell and RNAseq analyses show that both receptors regulate common (<10%) and unique genes in SW480 colon cancer cells; however, functional enrichment analysis of the differentially expressed genes converges to several common pathways and gene ontology terms.

Bis-indole derived nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1) antagonists inhibit TGFβ-induced invasion of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma cells

Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) enhances invasion of breast and lung cancer cells through phosphorylation-dependent nuclear export of the nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1, Nur77). This response is inhibited by the NR4A1 antagonist 1,1-bis(3'-indoly)-1-(p-hydroxyphenyl) methane (CDIM8) and we hypothesized that similar effects would be observed in Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cells. Although some kinase inhibitors block TGFβ-induced invasion of embryonal RMS (ERMS) cells, the mechanism differs from breast and lung cancer cells since NR4A1 is extranuclear in ERMS cells. However, CDIM8 blocks basal and TGFβ-induced invasion of RD and SMS-CTR ERMS cell lines but not Rh30 alveolar RMS (ARMS) cells. Moreover, this response in ERMS cells was independent of SMAD7 degradation or activation of SMAD2/SMAD3. β-Catenin silencing decreased ERMS cell invasion and CDIM8 induced proteasome-independent downregulation of β-catenin. The novel mechanism of CDIM8-mediated inhibition of basal and TGFβ-induced ERMS cell invasion was due to activation of the Bcl-2-NR4A1 complex, mitochondrial disruption, induction of the tumor suppressor-like cytokine interleukin-24 (IL-24) which in turn downregulates β-catenin expression. Thus, the NR4A1 antagonist inhibits TGFβ-induced invasion of ERMS cells through initial targeting of cytosolic NR4A1.

Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Related Compounds Induce Nuclear Receptor 4A1 (NR4A1)-Dependent Carcinogenesis

Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used industrial compounds that have been identified as contaminants in almost every component of the global ecosystem, and in human studies, higher levels of PFAS have been correlated with increased incidence of multiple diseases. Based on the results of human and laboratory animal studies, we hypothesize that the orphan nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1) may be a critical target for some PFAS such as the legacy linear polyfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and other sulfonates. We show that PFOS and related compounds bound the ligand binding domain (LBD) of NR4A1 and induced the growth of several cancer cell lines and enhanced tumor growth in an athymic nude mouse model. Using NR4A1-responsive rhabdomyosarcoma Rh30 cells as a model, PFOS induced NR4A1-dependent cell proliferation and Rh30 cell migration and invasion. Moreover, in Rh30 cells, PFOS also induces several NR4A1-regulated genes including the PAX3-FOXO1 oncogene and downstream gene products, and in a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, PFOS does not decrease NR4A1 binding to the promoter. These results demonstrate that PFOS is an NR4A1 ligand and enhances tumorigenesis through the activation of this receptor.

Short chain fatty acids exhibit selective estrogen receptor downregulator (SERD) activity in breast cancer

Early stage estrogen receptor α (ERα, ESR1)-positive breast cancer patients can develop more aggressive endocrine-resistant tumors that express constitutively active mutant forms of ERα including ERα-Y537S and ERα-D538G. These patients are treated with selective ER down regulators (SERDs) such as the ERα antagonist fulvestrant. Previous studies show that histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors downregulate ERα and since some dietary derived short chain fatty acids (butyrate, propionate and acetate) exhibit HDAC inhibitory activity we investigated their effects as SERDs in MCF-7 and T47D cells expressing wild-type and mutant ERα-D538G and ERα-Y537S. The SCFAs exhibited SERD-like activity in both cell lines expressing wild-type and mutant ERα. The results for propionate and butyrate correlated with parallel induction of histone acetylation and this was also observed for the HDAC inhibitors Panobinostat, Vorinostat and Entinostat which also downregulated wild-type and mutant ERα and induced histone acetylation. Although acetate induced ERα degradation the mechanisms may be independent of the HDAC inhibitory activity of this compound. These results suggest that high fibre diets that induce formation of SCFAs may have some clinical efficacy for treating ER-positive endocrine resistant breast cancer patients and this is currently being investigated.

Bis-Indole Derivatives as Dual Nuclear Receptor 4A1 (NR4A1) and NR4A2 Ligands

Bis-indole derived compounds such as 1,1-bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(3,5-disubstitutedphenyl) methane (DIM-3,5) and the corresponding 4-hydroxyl analogs (DIM8-3,5) are NR4A1 ligands that act as inverse NR4A1 agonists and are potent inhibitors of tumor growth. The high potency of several DIM-3,5 analogs (IC50 < 1 mg/kg/day), coupled with the >60% similarity of the ligand-binding domains (LBDs) of NR4A1 and NR4A2 and the pro-oncogenic activities of both receptors lead us to hypothesize that these compounds may act as dual NR4A1 and NR4A2 ligands. Using a fluorescence binding assay, it was shown that 22 synthetic DIM8-3,5 and DIM-3,5 analogs bound the LBD of NR4A1 and NR4A2 with most KD values in the low µM range. Moreover, the DIM-3,5 and DIM8-3,5 analogs also decreased NR4A1- and NR4A2-dependent transactivation in U87G glioblastoma cells transfected with GAL4-NR4A1 or GAL4-NR4A2 chimeras and a UAS-luciferase reporter gene construct. The DIM-3,5 and DIM8-3,5 analogs were cytotoxic to U87 glioblastoma and RKO colon cancer cells and the DIM-3,5 compounds were more cytotoxic than the DIM8-3,5 compounds. These studies show that both DIM-3,5 and DIM8-3,5 compounds previously identified as NR4A1 ligands bind both NR4A1 and NR4A2 and are dual NR4A1/2 ligands.