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BRD4 PROTAC degrader ARV-825 inhibits T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia by targeting 'Undruggable' Myc-pathway genes. Cancer Cell Int 2021; 21:230. [PMID: 33888130 PMCID: PMC8061034 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-021-01908-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive disease with a high risk of induction failure and poor outcomes, with relapse due to drug resistance. Recent studies show that bromodomains and extra-terminal (BET) protein inhibitors are promising anti-cancer agents. ARV-825, comprising a BET inhibitor conjugated with cereblon ligand, was recently developed to attenuate the growth of multiple tumors in vitro and in vivo. However, the functional and molecular mechanisms of ARV-825 in T-ALL remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and potential mechanism of ARV-825 in T-ALL. Methods Expression of the BRD4 were determined in pediatric T-ALL samples and differential gene expression after ARV-825 treatment was explored by RNA-seq and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. T-ALL cell viability was measured by CCK8 assay after ARV-825 administration. Cell cycle was analyzed by propidium iodide (PI) staining and apoptosis was assessed by Annexin V/PI staining. BRD4, BRD3 and BRD2 proteins were detected by western blot in cells treated with ARV-825. The effect of ARV-825 on T-ALL cells was analyzed in vivo. The functional and molecular pathways involved in ARV-825 treatment of T-ALL were verified by western blot and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Results BRD4 expression was higher in pediatric T-ALL samples compared with T-cells from healthy donors. High BRD4 expression indicated a poor outcome. ARV-825 suppressed cell proliferation in vitro by arresting the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis, with elevated poly-ADP ribose polymerase and cleaved caspase 3. BRD4, BRD3, and BRD2 were degraded in line with reduced cereblon expression in T-ALL cells. ARV-825 had a lower IC50 in T-ALL cells compared with JQ1, dBET1 and OTX015. ARV-825 perturbed the H3K27Ac-Myc pathway and reduced c-Myc protein levels in T-ALL cells according to RNA-seq and ChIP. In the T-ALL xenograft model, ARV-825 significantly reduced tumor growth and led to the dysregulation of Ki67 and cleaved caspase 3. Moreover, ARV-825 inhibited cell proliferation by depleting BET and c-Myc proteins in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions BRD4 indicates a poor prognosis in T-ALL. The BRD4 degrader ARV-825 can effectively suppress the proliferation and promote apoptosis of T-ALL cells via BET protein depletion and c-Myc inhibition, thus providing a new strategy for the treatment of T-ALL. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-01908-w.
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Engelberg IA, Foley CA, James LI, Frye SV. Improved methods for targeting epigenetic reader domains of acetylated and methylated lysine. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2021; 63:132-144. [PMID: 33852996 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Responsible for interpreting histone post-translational modifications, epigenetic reader proteins have emerged as novel therapeutic targets for a wide range of diseases. Chemical probes have been critical in enabling target validation studies and have led to translational advances in cancer and inflammation-related pathologies. Here, we present the most recently reported probes of reader proteins that recognize acylated and methylated lysine. We will discuss challenges associated with achieving potent antagonism of reader domains and review ongoing efforts to overcome these hurdles, focusing on targeting strategies including the use of peptidomimetic ligands, allosteric modulators, and protein degraders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle A Engelberg
- Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, United States
| | - Caroline A Foley
- Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, United States
| | - Lindsey I James
- Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, United States
| | - Stephen V Frye
- Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, United States.
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Alabi SB, Crews CM. Major advances in targeted protein degradation: PROTACs, LYTACs, and MADTACs. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100647. [PMID: 33839157 PMCID: PMC8131913 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Of late, targeted protein degradation (TPD) has surfaced as a novel and innovative chemical tool and therapeutic modality. By co-opting protein degradation pathways, TPD facilitates complete removal of the protein molecules from within or outside the cell. While the pioneering Proteolysis-Targeting Chimera (PROTAC) technology and molecular glues hijack the ubiquitin-proteasome system, newer modalities co-opt autophagy or the endo-lysosomal pathway. Using this mechanism, TPD is posited to largely expand the druggable space far beyond small-molecule inhibitors. In this review, we discuss the major advances in TPD, highlight our current understanding, and explore outstanding questions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanique B Alabi
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Craig M Crews
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
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Pei J, Wang G, Feng L, Zhang J, Jiang T, Sun Q, Ouyang L. Targeting Lysosomal Degradation Pathways: New Strategies and Techniques for Drug Discovery. J Med Chem 2021; 64:3493-3507. [PMID: 33764774 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
A series of tools for targeted protein degradation are inspiring scientists to develop new drugs with advantages over traditional small-molecule drugs. Among these tools, proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are most representative of the technology based on proteasomes. However, the proteasome has little degradation effect on certain macromolecular proteins or aggregates, extracellular proteins, and organelles, which limits the application of PROTACs. Additionally, lysosomes play an important role in protein degradation. Therefore, lysosome-induced protein degradation drugs can directly regulate protein levels in vivo, achieve the goal of treating diseases, and provide new strategies for drug discovery. Lysosome-based degradation technology has the potential for clinical translation. In this review, strategies targeting lysosomal pathways and lysosome-based degradation techniques are summarized. In addition, lysosome-based degrading drugs are described, and the advantages and challenges are listed. Our efforts will certainly promote the design, discovery, and clinical application of drugs associated with this technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junping Pei
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Guan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Lu Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Jifa Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Tingting Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Qiu Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Liang Ouyang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, Innovation Center of Nursing Research, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
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Kaur R, Chaudhary G, Kaur A, Singh P, Longowal GD, Sapkale GP, Arora S. PROTACs: A Hope for Breast Cancer Patients? Anticancer Agents Med Chem 2021; 22:406-417. [PMID: 33687888 DOI: 10.2174/1871520621666210308100327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast Cancer (BC) is the most widely recognized disease in women. A massive number of women are diagnosed with breast cancer and many lost their lives every year. Cancer is the subsequent driving reason for dying, giving rise to it one of the current medication's most prominent difficulties. OBJECTIVES The main objective of the study is to examine and explore novel therapy (PROTAC) and its effectiveness against breast cancer. METHODS The literature search was done across Medline, Cochrane, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online, Google Scholar, PubMed, Bentham Sciences from 2001 to 2020. The articles were collected; screened, segregated, and selected papers were included for writing the review article. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION A novel innovation emerged around two decades ago that has great potential to not only overcome the limitations but also can provide future direction for the treatment of many diseases which has presently not many therapeutic options available and regarded as incurable with traditional techniques; that innovation is called PROTAC (Proteolysis Targeting Chimera) and able to efficaciously ubiquitinate and debase cancer encouraging proteins by noncovalent interaction. PROTACs are constituted of two active regions isolated by a linker and equipped for eliminating explicit undesirable protein. It is empowering greater sensitivity to "drug-resistant targets" as well as a more prominent opportunity to influence non-enzymatic function. PROTACs have been demonstrated to show better target selectivity contrasted with traditional small-molecule inhibitors. So far, the most investigation into PROTACs possesses particularly concentrated on applications to cancer treatment including breast cancer, the treatment of different ailments may profit from this blossoming innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajwinder Kaur
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab. India
| | - Gaurav Chaudhary
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab. India
| | - Amritpal Kaur
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab. India
| | - Pargat Singh
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab. India
| | | | - Gayatri P Sapkale
- Fortis Flt. Lt. Rajan Dhall Hospital, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, Pocket 1, Sector B, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070. India
| | - Sandeep Arora
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab. India
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Tang P, Zhang J, Liu J, Chiang CM, Ouyang L. Targeting Bromodomain and Extraterminal Proteins for Drug Discovery: From Current Progress to Technological Development. J Med Chem 2021; 64:2419-2435. [PMID: 33616410 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) proteins bind acetylated lysine residues in histones and nonhistone proteins via tandem bromodomains and regulate chromatin dynamics, cellular processes, and disease procession. Thus targeting BET proteins is a promising strategy for treating various diseases, especially malignant tumors and chronic inflammation. Many pan-BET small-molecule inhibitors have been described, and some of them are in clinical evaluation. Nevertheless, the limited clinical efficacy of the current BET inhibitors is also evident and has inspired the development of new technologies to improve their clinical outcomes and minimize unwanted side effects. In this Review, we summarize the latest protein characteristics and biological functions of BRD4 as an example of BET proteins, analyze the clinical development status and preclinical resistance mechanisms, and discuss recent advances in BRD4-selective inhibitors, dual-target BET inhibitors, proteolysis targeting chimera degraders, and protein-protein interaction inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Jifa Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Jie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Cheng-Ming Chiang
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacology, and Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Liang Ouyang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
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Senolytics for Cancer Therapy: Is All That Glitters Really Gold? Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13040723. [PMID: 33578753 PMCID: PMC7916462 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13040723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Senescence is an essential component of tumor cell biology and is a primary cell stress response to therapy. While the long-term impact of senescence in cancer therapy is not yet fully understood, the use of senolytics, drugs that selectively kill senescent cells, is an area of active investigation in cancer treatment. Several challenges and unanswered questions have arisen from the current preclinical literature, indicating the need to re-evaluate some of the basic premises and experimental approaches, as well as the potential utility for translating to the clinic the application of senolytics as adjuvants to current cancer therapy. Abstract Senolytics represent a group of mechanistically diverse drugs that can eliminate senescent cells, both in tumors and in several aging-related pathologies. Consequently, senolytic use has been proposed as a potential adjuvant approach to improve the response to senescence-inducing conventional and targeted cancer therapies. Despite the unequivocal promise of senolytics, issues of universality, selectivity, resistance, and toxicity remain to be further clarified. In this review, we attempt to summarize and analyze the current preclinical literature involving the use of senolytics in senescent tumor cell models, and to propose tenable solutions and future directions to improve the understanding and use of this novel class of drugs.
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION PROTACs represent a novel class of heterobifunctional molecules that simultaneously bind to a target protein and to an E3 ligase complex, resulting in the transfer of ubiquitin and initiating a process ultimately causing the proteasomal degradation of the target protein. This mechanism of action imbues PROTACs with the ability to modulate target biology in unique ways compared to inhibitors, and the development of PROTACs as therapeutic agents is expected to result in new medicines to treat multiple diseases. AREAS COVERED This review includes published PCT (WO) patent applications covering January 2013 through June 2020. Only English-language patent applications with exemplified PROTACs reported to degrade a target protein(s) were deemed in scope, and the definition of 'PROTAC' was restricted to a bifunctional molecule which contains a discrete binding element for a specific degradation target(s), as well as a separate discrete E3 ligase-binding moiety. EXPERT OPINION Delivering on the enormous potential of PROTACs will require the development of PROTAC medicines that are differentiated from traditional small-molecule inhibitors. The modular composition of PROTACs affords both opportunities and challenges in securing robust intellectual property, and we envision that requirements for novelty are likely to evolve as this area matures.
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Damiani E, Duran MN, Mohan N, Rajendran P, Dashwood RH. Targeting Epigenetic 'Readers' with Natural Compounds for Cancer Interception. J Cancer Prev 2020; 25:189-203. [PMID: 33409252 PMCID: PMC7783241 DOI: 10.15430/jcp.2020.25.4.189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural compounds from diverse sources, including botanicals and commonly consumed foods and beverages, exert beneficial health effects via mechanisms that impact the epigenome and gene expression during disease pathogenesis. By targeting the so-called epigenetic 'readers', 'writers', and 'erasers', dietary phytochemicals can reverse abnormal epigenome signatures in cancer cells and preneoplastic stages. Thus, such agents provide avenues for cancer interception via prevention or treatment/therapeutic strategies. To date, much of the focus on dietary agents has been directed towards writers (e.g., histone acetyltransferases) and erasers (e.g., histone deacetylases), with less attention given to epigenetic readers (e.g., BRD proteins). The drug JQ1 was developed as a prototype epigenetic reader inhibitor, selectively targeting members of the bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) family, such as BRD4. Clinical trials with JQ1 as a single agent, or in combination with standard of care therapy, revealed antitumor efficacy but not without toxicity or resistance. In pursuit of second-generation epigenetic reader inhibitors, attention has shifted to natural sources, including dietary agents that might be repurposed as 'JQ1-like' bioactives. This review summarizes the current status of nascent research activity focused on natural compounds as inhibitors of BET and other epigenetic 'reader' proteins, with a perspective on future directions and opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Damiani
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of the Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Munevver N. Duran
- Center for Epigenetics & Disease Prevention, Texas A&M Health Science Center, TX, USA
| | - Nivedhitha Mohan
- Center for Epigenetics & Disease Prevention, Texas A&M Health Science Center, TX, USA
| | - Praveen Rajendran
- Center for Epigenetics & Disease Prevention, Texas A&M Health Science Center, TX, USA
| | - Roderick H. Dashwood
- Center for Epigenetics & Disease Prevention, Texas A&M Health Science Center, TX, USA
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Texas A&M College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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The Molecular 'Myc-anisms' Behind Myc-Driven Tumorigenesis and the Relevant Myc-Directed Therapeutics. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21249486. [PMID: 33322239 PMCID: PMC7764474 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
MYC, a well-studied proto-oncogene that is overexpressed in >20% of tumors across all cancers, is classically known as “undruggable” due to its crucial roles in cell processes and its lack of a drug binding pocket. Four decades of research and creativity led to the discovery of a myriad of indirect (and now some direct!) therapeutic strategies targeting Myc. This review explores the various mechanisms in which Myc promotes cancer and highlights five key therapeutic approaches to disrupt Myc, including transcription, Myc-Max dimerization, protein stability, cell cycle regulation, and metabolism, in order to develop more specific Myc-directed therapies.
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Tomaselli D, Mautone N, Mai A, Rotili D. Recent advances in epigenetic proteolysis targeting chimeras (Epi-PROTACs). Eur J Med Chem 2020; 207:112750. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Li Z, Lim SL, Tao Y, Li X, Xie Y, Yang C, Zhang Z, Jiang Y, Zhang X, Cao X, Wang H, Qian G, Wu Y, Li M, Fang F, Liu Y, Fu M, Ding X, Zhu Z, Lv H, Lu J, Xiao S, Hu S, Pan J. PROTAC Bromodomain Inhibitor ARV-825 Displays Anti-Tumor Activity in Neuroblastoma by Repressing Expression of MYCN or c-Myc. Front Oncol 2020; 10:574525. [PMID: 33324552 PMCID: PMC7726414 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.574525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most common solid tumors in childhood. To date, targeting MYCN, a well-established driver gene in high-risk neuroblastoma, is still challenging. In recent years, inhibition of bromodomain and extra terminal (BET) proteins shows great potential in multiple of Myc-driven tumors. ARV-825 is a novel BET inhibitor using proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology which degrades target proteins by the proteasome. In this study, we investigated the effect of ARV-825 in neuroblastoma in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that ARV-825 treatment robustly induced proliferative suppression, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis in NB cells. Moreover, ARV-825 efficiently depleted BET protein expression, subsequently repressing the expression of MYCN or c-Myc. In the NB xenograft model, ARV-825 profoundly reduced tumor growth and led to the downregulation of BRD4 and MYCN expression in mice. Taken together, these findings provide evidence that PROTAC BET inhibitor is an efficient way to achieve MYCN/c-Myc manipulation, and ARV-825 can be used as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiheng Li
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.,Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Su Lin Lim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Michael's Medical Center, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Yanfang Tao
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xiaolu Li
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yi Xie
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Chun Yang
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Zimu Zhang
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - You Jiang
- Department of Hematology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xianbing Zhang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Kunshan, Suzhou, China
| | - Xu Cao
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Hairong Wang
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Guanghui Qian
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yi Wu
- Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Mei Li
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Fang Fang
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Mingcui Fu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xin Ding
- Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Zhenghong Zhu
- Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Haitao Lv
- Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jun Lu
- Department of Hematology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Sheng Xiao
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Shaoyan Hu
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.,Department of Hematology, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jian Pan
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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Kounde CS, Tate EW. Photoactive Bifunctional Degraders: Precision Tools To Regulate Protein Stability. J Med Chem 2020; 63:15483-15493. [PMID: 33226810 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation with bifunctional degraders is positioned as a remarkable game-changing strategy to control cellular protein levels and promises a new therapeutic modality in drug discovery. Light activation of a degrader to achieve exquisite spatiotemporal control over protein stability in cells has attracted the interest of multiple research groups, with recent reports demonstrating optical control of proteolysis with chimeric molecules bearing photolabile or photoswitchable motifs. In this context of targeted proteolysis research spurring the emergence of innovative tools, we examine the design, synthesis, and properties of light-activated degraders. The significant impact of this approach in regulating disease-relevant protein levels in a light-dependent manner is highlighted with key examples, and future developments to fully harness the potential of light-induced protein degradation with photoactive bifunctional molecules are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyrille S Kounde
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, White City Campus, Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
| | - Edward W Tate
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, White City Campus, Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
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Chen NC, Borthakur G, Pemmaraju N. Bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) inhibitors in treating myeloid neoplasms. Leuk Lymphoma 2020; 62:528-537. [DOI: 10.1080/10428194.2020.1842399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Cheng Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas School of Health Sciences at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gautam Borthakur
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Naveen Pemmaraju
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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The therapeutic effect of the BRD4-degrading PROTAC A1874 in human colon cancer cells. Cell Death Dis 2020; 11:805. [PMID: 32978368 PMCID: PMC7519683 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-020-03015-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
A1874 is a novel BRD4-degrading proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC). In primary colon cancer cells and established HCT116 cells, A1874 potently inhibited cell viability, proliferation, cell cycle progression, as well as cell migration and invasion. The BRD4-degrading PROTAC was able to induce caspase and apoptosis activation in colon cancer cells. Furthermore, A1874-induced degradation of BRD4 protein and downregulated BRD-dependent genes (c-Myc, Bcl-2, and cyclin D1) in colon cancer cells. Significantly, A1874-induced anti-colon cancer cell activity was more potent than the known BRD4 inhibitors (JQ1, CPI203, and I-BET151). In BRD4-knockout colon cancer cells A1874 remained cytotoxic, indicating the existence of BRD4-independent mechanisms. In addition to BRD4 degradation, A1874 cytotoxicity in colon cancer cells was also associated with p53 protein stabilization and reactive oxygen species production. Importantly, the antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine and the p53 inhibitor pifithrin-α attenuated A1874-induced cell death and apoptosis in colon cancer cells. In vivo, A1874 oral administration potently inhibited colon cancer xenograft growth in severe combined immuno-deficient mice. BRD4 degradation and p53 protein elevation, as well as apoptosis induction and oxidative stress were detected in A1874-treated colon cancer tissues. Together, A1874 inhibits colon cancer cell growth through both BRD4-dependent and -independent mechanisms.
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66
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Beyer JN, Raniszewski NR, Burslem GM. Advances and Opportunities in Epigenetic Chemical Biology. Chembiochem 2020; 22:17-42. [PMID: 32786101 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The study of epigenetics has greatly benefited from the development and application of various chemical biology approaches. In this review, we highlight the key targets for modulation and recent methods developed to enact such modulation. We discuss various chemical biology techniques to study DNA methylation and the post-translational modification of histones as well as their effect on gene expression. Additionally, we address the wealth of protein synthesis approaches to yield histones and nucleosomes bearing epigenetic modifications. Throughout, we highlight targets that present opportunities for the chemical biology community, as well as exciting new approaches that will provide additional insight into the roles of epigenetic marks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna N Beyer
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 422 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Nicole R Raniszewski
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 422 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - George M Burslem
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 422 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.,Department of Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Institute Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 422 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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67
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BET bromodomains as novel epigenetic targets for brain health and disease. Neuropharmacology 2020; 181:108306. [PMID: 32946883 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic pharmacotherapy for CNS-related diseases is a burgeoning area of research. In particular, members of the bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family of proteins have emerged as intriguing therapeutic targets due to their putative involvement in an array of brain diseases. With their ability to bind to acetylated histones and act as a scaffold for chromatin modifying complexes, BET proteins were originally thought of as passive epigenetic 'reader' proteins. However, new research depicts a more complex reality where BET proteins act as key nodes in lineage-specific and signal-dependent transcriptional mechanisms to influence disease-relevant functions. Amid a recent wave of drug development efforts from basic scientists and pharmaceutical companies, BET inhibitors are currently being studied in several CNS-related disease models, but safety and tolerability remain a concern. Here we review the progress in understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of BET proteins and the therapeutic potential of targeting BET proteins for brain health and disease.
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68
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Hu B, Zhou Y, Sun D, Yang Y, Liu Y, Li X, Li H, Chen L. PROTACs: New method to degrade transcription regulating proteins. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 207:112698. [PMID: 32858471 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Transcription is the fundamental process in all living organisms. A variety of important proteins, such as NRs, BETs, HDACs and many others are involved in transcription process. In general, overexpression of these proteins would cause many diseases. Some approved therapeutics employed inhibitors to regulate the transcription process, however, the results are far from satisfying. Therefore, it is in high demand to develop new technology to improve the therapeutic effects. In recent years, proteolysis-targeting chimaera (PROTAC) turned out to be a novel efficient therapeutic method to treat various diseases which were caused by proteins overexpression. PROTAC molecules are bifunctional small molecules that simultaneously bind a target protein and an E3-ubiquitin ligase, thus causing ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of the target protein by the proteasome. In contrast to traditional inhibitors, PROTACs showed higher efficiency to tackle the diseases which were caused by protein overexpression due to their excellent performance for degrading target proteins in transcription regulation. In this review, 29 kinds of PROTACs targeting transcription regulator proteins are summarized, and meanwhile the advantages of PROTACs are highlighted. Furthermore, several examples of PROTACs regulating the transcription for the treatment of diseases and functioning as tools for biological research are also disscussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beichen Hu
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yirong Zhou
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry and Resource Evaluation, School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Dejuan Sun
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yueying Yang
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Xingzhou Li
- National Engineering Research Center for the Emergency Drug, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, PR China.
| | - Hua Li
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry and Resource Evaluation, School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
| | - Lixia Chen
- Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China.
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69
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Zhang X, He Y, Zhang P, Budamagunta V, Lv D, Thummuri D, Yang Y, Pei J, Yuan Y, Zhou D, Zheng G. Discovery of IAP-recruiting BCL-X L PROTACs as potent degraders across multiple cancer cell lines. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 199:112397. [PMID: 32388279 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Revised: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Targeting BCL-XL via PROTACs is a promising strategy in reducing BCL-XL inhibition associated platelet toxicity. Recently, we reported potent BCL-XL PROTAC degraders that recruit VHL or CRBN E3 ligase. However, low protein expression or mutation of the responsible E3 ligase has been known to result in decreased protein degradation efficiency of the corresponding PROTACs. To overcome these mechanisms of resistance, PROTACs based on recruiting alternative E3 ligases could be generated. Thus, we designed and synthesized a series of PROTACs that recruit IAP E3 ligases for BCL-XL degradation. Among those PROTACs, compound 8a efficiently degrades BCL-XL in malignant T-cell lymphoma cell line MyLa 1929 while CRBN-based PROTACs that have high potency in other cancer cell lines show compromised potency, likely due to the low CRBN expression. Moreover, compared with the parent compound ABT-263, PROTAC 8a shows comparable cell killing effects in MyLa 1929 cells whereas the on-target platelet toxicity is significantly reduced. Our findings expand the anti-tumor spectra of BCL-XL degraders and further highlight the importance of selecting suitable E3 members to achieve effective cellular activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States
| | - Yonghan He
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States
| | - Peiyi Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States
| | - Vivekananda Budamagunta
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States
| | - Dongwen Lv
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States
| | - Dinesh Thummuri
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States
| | - Yang Yang
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States
| | - Jing Pei
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States
| | - Yaxia Yuan
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States
| | - Daohong Zhou
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States.
| | - Guangrong Zheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States.
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Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms involve the placing (writing) or removal (erasing) of histone modifications that allow heterochromatin to transition to the open, activated euchromatin state necessary for transcription. A third, less studied epigenetic pathway involves the reading of these specific histone marks once placed. The BETs (bromodomain and extraterminal-containing protein family), which includes BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4 and the testis-restricted BRDT, are epigenetic reader proteins that bind to specific acetylated lysine residues on histone tails where they facilitate the assembly of transcription complexes including transcription factors and transcriptional machinery like RNA Polymerase II. As reviewed here, considerable recent data establishes BETs as novel determinants of induced transcriptional programs in vascular cells, like endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells, cardiac myocytes and inflammatory cells, like monocyte/macrophages, cellular settings where these epigenetic reader proteins couple proximal stimuli to chromatin, acting at super-enhancer regulatory regions to direct gene expression. BET inhibition, including the use of specific chemical BET inhibitors like JQ-1, has many reported effects in vivo in the cardiovascular setting, like decreasing atherosclerosis, angiogenesis, intimal hyperplasia, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and cardiac hypertrophy. At the same time, data in endothelial cells, adipocytes, and elsewhere suggest BETs also help regulate gene expression under basal conditions. Studies in the cardiovascular setting have highlighted BET action as a means of controlling gene expression in differentiation, cell identity, and cell state transitions, whether physiological or pathological, adaptive, or maladaptive. While distinct BET inhibitors are being pursued as therapies in oncology, a large prospective clinical cardiovascular outcome study investigating the BET inhibitor RVX-208 (now called apabetalone) has already been completed. Independent of this specific agent and this one trial or the numerous unanswered questions that remain, BETs have emerged as novel epigenetic players involved in the execution of coordinated transcriptional programs in cardiovascular health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Cristine Borck
- From the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (P.C.B., J.P.)
| | - Lian-Wang Guo
- Davis Heart and Lung Institute, Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State University, Columbus (L.-W.G.)
| | - Jorge Plutzky
- From the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (P.C.B., J.P.)
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71
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Burslem GM, Crews CM. Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras as Therapeutics and Tools for Biological Discovery. Cell 2020; 181:102-114. [PMID: 31955850 PMCID: PMC7319047 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.11.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 525] [Impact Index Per Article: 131.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
New biological tools provide new techniques to probe fundamental biological processes. Here we describe the burgeoning field of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), which are capable of modulating protein concentrations at a post-translational level by co-opting the ubiquitin-proteasome system. We describe the PROTAC technology and its application to drug discovery and provide examples where PROTACs have enabled novel biological insights. Furthermore, we provide a workflow for PROTAC development and use and discuss the benefits and issues associated with PROTACs. Finally, we compare PROTAC-mediated protein-level modulation with other technologies, such as RNAi and genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- George M Burslem
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Craig M Crews
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Departments of Chemistry and Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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72
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Abstract
Heterobifunctional molecules, which recruit E3 ligases to ubiquitinate a target protein of interest, have found wide application as both biological tools and molecules with the potential to have clinical effects. In their recent paper, Yamazoe et al. report a heterobifunctional molecule that recruits the phosphatase PP1 to promote the dephosphorylation of pAKT to give AKT. This Viewpoint seeks to place this work in the wider context of heterobifunctional molecules and looks ahead to new possibilities presented by these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart J Conway
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K
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73
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Zong D, Gu J, Cavalcante GC, Yao W, Zhang G, Wang S, Owonikoko TK, He X, Sun SY. BRD4 Levels Determine the Response of Human Lung Cancer Cells to BET Degraders That Potently Induce Apoptosis through Suppression of Mcl-1. Cancer Res 2020; 80:2380-2393. [PMID: 32156781 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-19-3674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Lung cancer consists of approximately 80% non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 20% small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide despite advances in early diagnosis, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Thus, novel therapies are still urgently needed. Bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) proteins, primarily comprised of BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4 proteins, function as epigenetic readers and master transcription coactivators and are now recognized cancer therapeutic targets. BET degraders such as ZBC260 and dBET represent a novel class of BET inhibitors that act by inducing BET degradation. The current study demonstrates the therapeutic efficacies of BET degraders, particularly ZBC260, against lung cancer, as well as understanding the underlying mechanisms and identifying molecular markers that determine cell sensitivity to BET degraders. A panel of NSCLC cell lines possessed similar response patterns to ZBC260 and dBET but different responses to BET inhibitor JQ-1. BRD levels, particularly BRD4, correlated positively with high sensitivity to BET degraders but not to JQ-1. BET degraders potently induced apoptosis in sensitive NSCLC cells and were accompanied by reduction of Mcl-1 and c-FLIP levels, which are critical for mediating induction of apoptosis and enhancement of TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Accordingly, ZBC260 exerted more potent activity than JQ-1 in vivo against the growth of NSCLC xenografts and patient-derived xenografts. These findings warrant future clinical validation of the efficacy of BET degraders in NSCLC, particularly those with high levels of BRD proteins, especially BRD4. SIGNIFICANCE: The current study demonstrates the potential of novel BET degraders in the treatment of lung cancer and warrants clinical validation of BET degraders in lung cancer with high levels of BRD4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Zong
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital and Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China.,Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jiajia Gu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital and Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China.,Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Giovanna C Cavalcante
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia.,Laboratory of Human and Medical Genetics, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Weilong Yao
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia.,Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Guojing Zhang
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Shaomeng Wang
- Departments of Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology and Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Taofeek K Owonikoko
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Xia He
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital and Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China.
| | - Shi-Yong Sun
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia.
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74
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Reynders M, Matsuura BS, Bérouti M, Simoneschi D, Marzio A, Pagano M, Trauner D. PHOTACs enable optical control of protein degradation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaay5064. [PMID: 32128406 PMCID: PMC7034999 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay5064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 169] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
PROTACs (PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras) are bifunctional molecules that target proteins for ubiquitylation by an E3 ligase complex and subsequent degradation by the proteasome. They have emerged as powerful tools to control the levels of specific cellular proteins. We now introduce photoswitchable PROTACs that can be activated with the spatiotemporal precision that light provides. These trifunctional molecules, which we named PHOTACs (PHOtochemically TArgeting Chimeras), consist of a ligand for an E3 ligase, a photoswitch, and a ligand for a protein of interest. We demonstrate this concept by using PHOTACs that target either BET family proteins (BRD2,3,4) or FKBP12. Our lead compounds display little or no activity in the dark but can be reversibly activated with different wavelengths of light. Our modular approach provides a method for the optical control of protein levels with photopharmacology and could lead to new types of precision therapeutics that avoid undesired systemic toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reynders
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Bryan S. Matsuura
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Marleen Bérouti
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Daniele Simoneschi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Antonio Marzio
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Michele Pagano
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Dirk Trauner
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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75
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Mu X, Bai L, Xu Y, Wang J, Lu H. Protein targeting chimeric molecules specific for dual bromodomain 4 (BRD4) and Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) proteins in acute myeloid leukemia cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 521:833-839. [PMID: 31708096 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are hetero-bifunctional molecules that could simultaneously bind to the target protein and the E3 ubiquitin ligase, thereby leading to selective degradation of the target protein. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) and bromodomain 4 (BRD4) are both attractive therapeutic targets in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, we developed a small-molecule BRD4 and PLK1 degrader HBL-4 based on PROTAC technology, which leads to fast, efficient, and prolonged degradation of BRD4 and PLK1 in MV4-11 cells tested in vitro and vivo, and potent anti-proliferation and BRD4 and PLK1 degradation ability in human acute leukemia MOLM-13 and KG1 cells. Meanwhile, HBL-4 more effectively suppresses c-Myc levels than inhibitor BI2536, resulting in more effective inducing apoptosis activity in MV4-11 cells. At the same time, HBL-4 induced dramatically improved efficacy in the MV4-11 tumor xenograft model as compared with BI2536. This study is, to our knowledge, the first reports about dual PLK1 and BRD4 degraders, which potentially represents an important therapeutic advance in the treatment of cancer.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry
- Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology
- Apoptosis/drug effects
- Cell Cycle Proteins/metabolism
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Movement/drug effects
- Cell Survival/drug effects
- Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic/drug effects
- Genes, myc
- Humans
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/pathology
- Mice, SCID
- Molecular Targeted Therapy
- Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism
- Proteolysis/drug effects
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins/metabolism
- Pteridines/chemistry
- Small Molecule Libraries/chemistry
- Small Molecule Libraries/pharmacology
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
- Polo-Like Kinase 1
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Affiliation(s)
- Xupeng Mu
- Department of Central Laboratory, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Liting Bai
- College of Pharmacy, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yingju Xu
- College of Pharmacy, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jingyao Wang
- School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haibin Lu
- College of Pharmacy, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
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76
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Abstract
The dynamic nature of histone post-translational modifications such as methylation or acetylation makes possible the alteration of disease associated epigenetic states through the manipulation of the associated epigenetic machinery. One approach is through small molecule perturbation. Chemical probes of epigenetic reader domains have been critical in improving our understanding of the biological consequences of modulating their targets, while also enabling the development of novel probe-based reagents. By appending a functional handle to a reader domain probe, a chemical toolbox of reagents can be created to facilitate chemiprecipitation of epigenetic complexes, evaluate probe selectivity, develop in vitro screening assays, visualize cellular target localization, enable target degradation and recruit epigenetic machinery to a site within the genome in a highly controlled fashion.
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77
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Sun X, Gao H, Yang Y, He M, Wu Y, Song Y, Tong Y, Rao Y. PROTACs: great opportunities for academia and industry. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2019; 4:64. [PMID: 31885879 PMCID: PMC6927964 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-019-0101-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 339] [Impact Index Per Article: 67.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Revised: 11/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Although many kinds of therapies are applied in the clinic, drug-resistance is a major and unavoidable problem. Another disturbing statistic is the limited number of drug targets, which are presently only 20-25% of all protein targets that are currently being studied. Moreover, the focus of current explorations of targets are their enzymatic functions, which ignores the functions from their scaffold moiety. As a promising and appealing technology, PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) have attracted great attention both from academia and industry for finding available approaches to solve the above problems. PROTACs regulate protein function by degrading target proteins instead of inhibiting them, providing more sensitivity to drug-resistant targets and a greater chance to affect the nonenzymatic functions. PROTACs have been proven to show better selectivity compared to classic inhibitors. PROTACs can be described as a chemical knockdown approach with rapidity and reversibility, which presents new and different biology compared to other gene editing tools by avoiding misinterpretations that arise from potential genetic compensation and/or spontaneous mutations. PRTOACs have been widely explored throughout the world and have outperformed not only in cancer diseases, but also in immune disorders, viral infections and neurodegenerative diseases. Although PROTACs present a very promising and powerful approach for crossing the hurdles of present drug discovery and tool development in biology, more efforts are needed to gain to get deeper insight into the efficacy and safety of PROTACs in the clinic. More target binders and more E3 ligases applicable for developing PROTACs are waiting for exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuyun Sun
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Hongying Gao
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Yiqing Yang
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Ming He
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Yue Wu
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Yugang Song
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Yan Tong
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
| | - Yu Rao
- Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 P. R. China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001 China
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Ciulli A, Farnaby W. Protein degradation for drug discovery. DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY. TECHNOLOGIES 2019; 31:1-3. [PMID: 31200853 DOI: 10.1016/j.ddtec.2019.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Ciulli
- Professor of Chemical & Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, James Black Centre, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - William Farnaby
- Professor of Chemical & Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, James Black Centre, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
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79
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AUTACs: Cargo-Specific Degraders Using Selective Autophagy. Mol Cell 2019; 76:797-810.e10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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80
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Pillow TH, Adhikari P, Blake RA, Chen J, Del Rosario G, Deshmukh G, Figueroa I, Gascoigne KE, Kamath AV, Kaufman S, Kleinheinz T, Kozak KR, Latifi B, Leipold DD, Sing Li C, Li R, Mulvihill MM, O'Donohue A, Rowntree RK, Sadowsky JD, Wai J, Wang X, Wu C, Xu Z, Yao H, Yu S, Zhang D, Zang R, Zhang H, Zhou H, Zhu X, Dragovich PS. Antibody Conjugation of a Chimeric BET Degrader Enables
in vivo
Activity. ChemMedChem 2019; 15:17-25. [DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201900497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jinhua Chen
- Wuxi Apptec 288 Fute Zhong Road Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Shanghai 200131 China
| | | | - Gauri Deshmukh
- Genentech Inc. 1 DNA Way South San Francisco CA 94080 USA
| | | | | | | | - Susan Kaufman
- Genentech Inc. 1 DNA Way South San Francisco CA 94080 USA
| | | | | | - Brandon Latifi
- Genentech Inc. 1 DNA Way South San Francisco CA 94080 USA
| | | | - Chun Sing Li
- Wuxi Apptec 288 Fute Zhong Road Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Shanghai 200131 China
| | - Ruina Li
- Genentech Inc. 1 DNA Way South San Francisco CA 94080 USA
| | | | | | | | | | - John Wai
- Wuxi Apptec 288 Fute Zhong Road Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Shanghai 200131 China
| | - Xinxin Wang
- Wuxi Apptec 288 Fute Zhong Road Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Shanghai 200131 China
| | - Cong Wu
- Genentech Inc. 1 DNA Way South San Francisco CA 94080 USA
| | - Zijin Xu
- Wuxi Apptec 288 Fute Zhong Road Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Shanghai 200131 China
| | - Hui Yao
- Wuxi Apptec 288 Fute Zhong Road Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Shanghai 200131 China
| | - Shang‐Fan Yu
- Genentech Inc. 1 DNA Way South San Francisco CA 94080 USA
| | - Donglu Zhang
- Genentech Inc. 1 DNA Way South San Francisco CA 94080 USA
| | - Richard Zang
- Genentech Inc. 1 DNA Way South San Francisco CA 94080 USA
| | - Hongyan Zhang
- Wuxi Apptec 288 Fute Zhong Road Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Shanghai 200131 China
| | - Hao Zhou
- Wuxi Apptec 288 Fute Zhong Road Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Shanghai 200131 China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhu
- Wuxi Apptec 288 Fute Zhong Road Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Shanghai 200131 China
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81
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Patent highlights June-July 2019. Pharm Pat Anal 2019; 8:225-231. [PMID: 31713457 DOI: 10.4155/ppa-2019-0019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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82
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Validation of the epigenetic reader bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) as a therapeutic target for treatment of airway remodeling. Drug Discov Today 2019; 25:126-132. [PMID: 31733396 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2019.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Structural remodeling is central to the initiation and progression of many chronic lung diseases, representing an important unmet need. We examine the evidence supporting bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) as a validated biological target for treatment of airway remodeling. In epithelial cells and fibroblasts, BRD4 serves as a scaffold for chromatin remodeling complexes in active super-enhancers. In response to inflammatory stimuli, BRD4 is repositioned to innate and mesenchymal genes activating their production. Proof-of-concept studies show promising benefit of selective BRD4 inhibitors in disrupting epithelial mesenchymal transition and myofibroblast transition in diverse models of lung injury. Recent identification of biomarkers of BRD4 provides a basis for further drug development for application in viral-induced airway inflammation, COPD and interstitial lung diseases.
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83
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Morgado-Pascual JL, Rayego-Mateos S, Tejedor L, Suarez-Alvarez B, Ruiz-Ortega M. Bromodomain and Extraterminal Proteins as Novel Epigenetic Targets for Renal Diseases. Front Pharmacol 2019; 10:1315. [PMID: 31780938 PMCID: PMC6857099 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms, especially DNA methylation and histone modifications, are dynamic processes that regulate the gene expression transcriptional program in normal and diseased states. The bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) protein family (BRD2, BRD3, BRD4, and BRDT) are epigenetic readers that, via bromodomains, regulate gene transcription by binding to acetylated lysine residues on histones and master transcriptional factors. Experimental data have demonstrated the involvement of some BET proteins in many pathological conditions, including tumor development, infections, autoimmunity, and inflammation. Selective bromodomain inhibitors are epigenetic drugs that block the interaction between BET proteins and acetylated proteins, thus exerting beneficial effects. Recent data have described the beneficial effect of BET inhibition on experimental renal diseases. Emerging evidence underscores the importance of environmental modifications in the origin of pathological features in chronic kidney diseases (CKD). Several cellular processes such as oxidation, metabolic disorders, cytokines, inflammation, or accumulated uremic toxins may induce epigenetic modifications that regulate key processes involved in renal damage and in other pathological conditions observed in CKD patients. Here, we review how targeting bromodomains in BET proteins may regulate essential processes involved in renal diseases and in associated complications found in CKD patients, such as cardiovascular damage, highlighting the potential of epigenetic therapeutic strategies against BET proteins for CKD treatment and associated risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Luis Morgado-Pascual
- Cellular Biology in Renal Diseases Laboratory, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Red de Investigación Renal (REDinREN), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sandra Rayego-Mateos
- Red de Investigación Renal (REDinREN), Madrid, Spain.,Vascular and Renal Translational Research Group, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida (IRBLleida), Lleida, Spain
| | - Lucia Tejedor
- Cellular Biology in Renal Diseases Laboratory, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Red de Investigación Renal (REDinREN), Madrid, Spain
| | - Beatriz Suarez-Alvarez
- Red de Investigación Renal (REDinREN), Madrid, Spain.,Translational Immunology Laboratory, Health Research Institute of the Principality of Asturias (ISPA), Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Marta Ruiz-Ortega
- Cellular Biology in Renal Diseases Laboratory, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Red de Investigación Renal (REDinREN), Madrid, Spain
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