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Chen W, Wu Y, Yang C, Ren W, Hou L, Liang H, Wu T, Kong Y, Wu J, Rao Y, Chen C. CDK9 targeting PROTAC L055 inhibits ERα-positive breast cancer. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 177:116972. [PMID: 38906024 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies affecting women worldwide, underscoring the urgent need for more effective and specific treatments. Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) have emerged as a promising strategy to develop new lead compounds by selectively targeting oncoproteins for degradation. In this study, we designed, synthesized and evaluated a CRBN-based PROTAC, L055, which targets CDK9. Our findings demonstrate that L055 effectively inhibits the proliferation, induces cell cycle arrest, and decreases the survival of ERα-positive breast cancer cells in vitro. L055 specifically binds to CDK9, facilitating its degradation via the CRBN-dependent proteasomal pathway. Additionally, L055 suppressed the growth of organoids and tumors derived from T47D and MCF7 cells in nude mice. Thus, L055 represents a potential novel therapeutic agent for ERα-positive breast cancer and potentially other malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenmin Chen
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China; Kunming College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy Sciences, Kunming 650204, China; Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Beihai Vocational College of Wellness, Beihai 536000, China
| | - Yue Wu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Chuanyu Yang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Wenlong Ren
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China; School of Life Science, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
| | - Lei Hou
- Department of Breast Disease, Henan Breast Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
| | - Huichun Liang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Tingyue Wu
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China; School of Life Science, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
| | - Yanjie Kong
- Pathology Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518035, China.
| | - Jiao Wu
- Department of the Second Medical Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650118, China.
| | - Yu Rao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Ceshi Chen
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China; Academy of Biomedical Engineering, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China; The Third Affiliated Hospital, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650118, China.
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The optimized core peptide derived from CABIN1 efficiently inhibits calcineurin-mediated T-cell activation. Exp Mol Med 2022; 54:613-625. [PMID: 35550603 PMCID: PMC9166766 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-022-00772-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The C-terminal fragment of CABIN1 interacts with calcineurin and represses the transcriptional activity of the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT). However, the specific sequences and mechanisms through which it binds to calcineurin are unclear. This study determined that decameric peptide (CABIN1 residues 2146–2155) is minimally required for binding to calcineurin. This peptide contains a unique “PPTP” C-terminal sequence and a “PxIxIT” N-terminal motif. Furthermore, p38MAPK phosphorylated the threonine residue of the “PPTP” sequence under physiological conditions, dramatically enhancing the peptide’s binding affinity to calcineurin. Therefore, the CABIN1 peptide inhibited the calcineurin-NFAT pathway and the activation of T cells more efficiently than the VIVIT peptide without affecting calcineurin’s phosphatase activity. The CABIN1 peptide could thus be a more potent calcineurin inhibitor and provide therapeutic opportunities for various diseases caused by the calcineurin-NFAT pathway. A peptide with therapeutic potential binds strongly to the cellular enzyme calcineurin and may prove valuable in anti-cancer and autoimmune disease treatments. Many cancers and autoimmune diseases are linked with overactivation of a key calcineurin-related pathway which is heavily involved in T cell activation. This pathway has long been a therapeutic target, but existing drugs show problems with stability and delivery, and can cause serious side effects. One known inhibitor of calcineurin is the protein CABIN1, but precisely how well it binds and how useful it may be is unclear. Now, Hong-Duk Youn at Seoul National University College of Medicine, South Korea, and co-workers have identified how one specific peptide from CABIN1 binds strongly to calcineurin. The CABIN1 peptide was stable and displayed greater efficiency at inhibiting calcineurin than another recently identified peptide candidate.
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