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Chang Y, Keramatnia F, Ghate PS, Nishiguchi G, Gao Q, Iacobucci I, Yang L, Chepyala D, Mishra A, High AA, Goto H, Akahane K, Peng J, Yang JJ, Fischer M, Rankovic Z, Mullighan CG. The orally bioavailable GSPT1/2 degrader SJ6986 exhibits in vivo efficacy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood 2023; 142:629-642. [PMID: 37172201 PMCID: PMC10447621 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2022017813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Advancing cure rates for high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been limited by the lack of agents that effectively kill leukemic cells, sparing normal hematopoietic tissue. Molecular glues direct the ubiquitin ligase cellular machinery to target neosubstrates for protein degradation. We developed a novel cereblon modulator, SJ6986, that exhibits potent and selective degradation of GSPT1 and GSPT2 and cytotoxic activity against childhood cancer cell lines. Here, we report in vitro and in vivo testing of the activity of this agent in a panel of ALL cell lines and xenografts. SJ6986 exhibited similar cytotoxicity to the previously described GSPT1 degrader CC-90009 in a panel of leukemia cell lines in vitro, resulting in apoptosis and perturbation of cell cycle progression. SJ6986 was more effective than CC-90009 in suppressing leukemic cell growth in vivo, partly attributable to favorable pharmacokinetic properties, and did not significantly impair differentiation of human CD34+ cells ex vivo. Genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screening of ALL cell lines treated with SJ6986 confirmed that components of the CRL4CRBN complex, associated adaptors, regulators, and effectors were integral in mediating the action of SJ6986. SJ6986 is a potent, selective, orally bioavailable GSPT1/2 degrader that shows broad antileukemic activity and has potential for clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunchao Chang
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Fatemeh Keramatnia
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN
| | - Pankaj S. Ghate
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Gisele Nishiguchi
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Qingsong Gao
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Ilaria Iacobucci
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Lei Yang
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Divyabharathi Chepyala
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Ashutosh Mishra
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Anthony A. High
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Hiroaki Goto
- Division of Hemato-Oncology/Regenerative Medicine, Kanagawa Children’s Medical Center, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Koshi Akahane
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan
| | - Junmin Peng
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Jun J. Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Marcus Fischer
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
- Cancer Biology Program, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Zoran Rankovic
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
- Cancer Biology Program, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Charles G. Mullighan
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
- Hematological Malignancies Program, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
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The ubiquitination-dependent and -independent functions of cereblon in cancer and neurological diseases. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167457. [PMID: 35045330 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Cereblon (CRBN) mediates the teratogenic effect of thalidomide in zebrafish, chicken, and humans. It additionally modulates the anti-myeloma effect of the immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) thalidomide, lenalidomide, and pomalidomide. IMiDs bind to CRBN and recruit neo-substrates for their ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation, which significantly expands the application of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) for targeted drug discovery. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms by which CRBN mediates the teratogenicity and anti-myeloma effect of IMiDs are not fully elucidated. Furthermore, the normal physiological functions of endogenous CRBN have not been extensively studied, which precludes the thorough assessment of side effects of the CRBN ligand-based PROTACs in the treatment of cancer and neurological diseases. To advance our understanding of the diverse functions of CRBN, in this review, we will survey the ubiquitination-dependent and -independent functions of CRBN, summarize recent advances in the discovery of constitutive and neo-substrates of CRBN, and explore the molecular functions of CRBN in cancer treatment and in the development of neurological diseases. We will also discuss the potential future directions towards the identification of CRBN substrates and interacting proteins, and CRBN-ligand-based drug discovery in the treatment of cancer and neurological diseases.
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