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Fan H, Zhou Z, Yu D, Sun J, Wang L, Jia Y, Tian J, Mi W, Sun H. Selective degradation of BRD4 suppresses lung cancer cell proliferation using GSH-responsive PROTAC precursors. Bioorg Chem 2023; 140:106793. [PMID: 37683536 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
BRD4,as a transcriptional and epigenetic regulator to mediate cellular functions, plays an important role in cancer development.Targeting BRD4 with conventional inhibitors in cancer therapy requires high doses, which often leads to off-target and adverse effects. BRD4-targeted proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) can catalytically degrade BRD4 utilizing the endogenous proteasome system, and exhibit promising anti-tumor activity. However, most of the developed PROTACs are non-cancer specific and relatively toxic towards normal cells, limiting their practical applications in cancer treatment. By taking advantage of higher glutathione (GSH) levels in cancer cells than that in normal cells, we developed several GSH-responsive PROTAC precursors 1a-c via the attachment of a GSH-trigger unit on the hydroxyl group of the VHL (von Hippel-Lindau) ligand for the recruitment of E3 ligase. Among the precursors, 1a can be efficiently activated by the innately higher concentrations of GSH in lung cancer cells (A549 and H1299) to release active PROTAC 1, degrading intracellular BRD4 and resulting in cytotoxicity, which is confirmed by mechanistic investigation. On the other hand, 1a cannot be efficiently triggered in normal lung cells (WI38 and HULEC-5a) containing lower levels of GSH, therefore reducing the adverse effects on normal cells. This work provides an alternative proof of concept approach for developing stimuli-responsive PROTAC precursors, and affords a novel insight to improve the selectivity and minimize the adverse effects of current PROTACs, hence enhancing their clinical potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heli Fan
- Tianjin Key Laboratory on Technologies Enabling Development of Clinical Therapeutics and Diagnostics, School of Pharmacy, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China
| | - Zhili Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China
| | - Dehao Yu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory on Technologies Enabling Development of Clinical Therapeutics and Diagnostics, School of Pharmacy, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China
| | - Jing Sun
- Tianjin Key Laboratory on Technologies Enabling Development of Clinical Therapeutics and Diagnostics, School of Pharmacy, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China
| | - Luo Wang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory on Technologies Enabling Development of Clinical Therapeutics and Diagnostics, School of Pharmacy, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China
| | - Yuanyuan Jia
- Tianjin Key Laboratory on Technologies Enabling Development of Clinical Therapeutics and Diagnostics, School of Pharmacy, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China
| | - Junyu Tian
- Tianjin Key Laboratory on Technologies Enabling Development of Clinical Therapeutics and Diagnostics, School of Pharmacy, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China
| | - Wenyi Mi
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China; The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China.
| | - Huabing Sun
- Tianjin Key Laboratory on Technologies Enabling Development of Clinical Therapeutics and Diagnostics, School of Pharmacy, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China; The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, PR China.
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