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Noblejas-López MDM, Gandullo-Sánchez L, Galán-Moya EM, López-Rosa R, Tébar-García D, Nieto-Jiménez C, Gómez-Juárez M, Burgos M, Pandiella A, Ocaña A. Antitumoral Activity of a CDK9 PROTAC Compound in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:5476. [PMID: 35628286 PMCID: PMC9146359 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105476] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are a broad family of proteins involved in the cell cycle and transcriptional regulation. In this article, we explore the antitumoral activity of a novel proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) compound against CDK9. Breast cancer cell lines from different subtypes were used. Transcriptomic mapping of CDKs in breast cancer demonstrated that the expression of CDK9 predicted a detrimental outcome in basal-like tumors (HR = 1.51, CI = 1.08-2.11, p = 0.015) and, particularly, in the luminal B subtype with HER2+ expression (HR = 1.82, CI = 1.17-2.82, p = 0.0069). The novel CDK9 PROTAC, THAL-SNS-032, displayed a profound inhibitory activity in MCF7, T47D, and BT474 cells, with less effect in SKBR3, HCC1569, HCC1954, MDA-MB-231, HS578T, and BT549 cells. The three cell lines with HER2 overexpression and no presence of ER, SKBR3, HCC1569, and HCC1954 displayed an EC50 three times higher compared to ER-positive and dual ER/HER2-positive cell lines. BT474-derived trastuzumab-resistant cell lines displayed a particular sensitivity to THAL-SNS-032. Western blot analyses showed that THAL-SNS-032 caused a decrease in CDK9 levels in BT474, BT474-RH, and BT474-TDM1R cells, and a significant increase in apoptosis. Experiments in animals demonstrated an inverse therapeutic index of THAL-SNS-032, with doses in the nontherapeutic and toxic range. The identified toxicity was mainly due to an on-target off-tumor effect of the compound in the gastrointestinal epithelium. In summary, the potent and efficient antitumoral properties of the CDK9 PROTAC THAL-SNS-032 opens the possibility of using this type of compound in breast cancer only if specifically delivered to cancer cells, particularly in ER/HER2-positive and HER2-resistant tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- María del Mar Noblejas-López
- Translational Research Unit, Albacete University Hospital, 02008 Albacete, Spain; (M.d.M.N.-L.); (E.M.G.-M.); (R.L.-R.); (D.T.-G.); (M.G.-J.); (M.B.)
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CRIB), Castilla-La Mancha University (UCLM), 02008 Albacete, Spain
| | - Lucía Gandullo-Sánchez
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, CSIC, IBSAL and CIBERONC, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (L.G.-S.); (A.P.)
| | - Eva M. Galán-Moya
- Translational Research Unit, Albacete University Hospital, 02008 Albacete, Spain; (M.d.M.N.-L.); (E.M.G.-M.); (R.L.-R.); (D.T.-G.); (M.G.-J.); (M.B.)
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CRIB), Castilla-La Mancha University (UCLM), 02008 Albacete, Spain
- Faculty of Nursing, Castilla-La Mancha University (UCLM), 02008 Albacete, Spain
| | - Raquel López-Rosa
- Translational Research Unit, Albacete University Hospital, 02008 Albacete, Spain; (M.d.M.N.-L.); (E.M.G.-M.); (R.L.-R.); (D.T.-G.); (M.G.-J.); (M.B.)
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CRIB), Castilla-La Mancha University (UCLM), 02008 Albacete, Spain
| | - David Tébar-García
- Translational Research Unit, Albacete University Hospital, 02008 Albacete, Spain; (M.d.M.N.-L.); (E.M.G.-M.); (R.L.-R.); (D.T.-G.); (M.G.-J.); (M.B.)
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CRIB), Castilla-La Mancha University (UCLM), 02008 Albacete, Spain
| | - Cristina Nieto-Jiménez
- Experimental Therapeutics Unit, Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clínico San Carlos (HCSC), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IdISSC) and CIBERONC, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Mónica Gómez-Juárez
- Translational Research Unit, Albacete University Hospital, 02008 Albacete, Spain; (M.d.M.N.-L.); (E.M.G.-M.); (R.L.-R.); (D.T.-G.); (M.G.-J.); (M.B.)
| | - Miguel Burgos
- Translational Research Unit, Albacete University Hospital, 02008 Albacete, Spain; (M.d.M.N.-L.); (E.M.G.-M.); (R.L.-R.); (D.T.-G.); (M.G.-J.); (M.B.)
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CRIB), Castilla-La Mancha University (UCLM), 02008 Albacete, Spain
- Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Physiology, School of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Atanasio Pandiella
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, CSIC, IBSAL and CIBERONC, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (L.G.-S.); (A.P.)
| | - Alberto Ocaña
- Translational Research Unit, Albacete University Hospital, 02008 Albacete, Spain; (M.d.M.N.-L.); (E.M.G.-M.); (R.L.-R.); (D.T.-G.); (M.G.-J.); (M.B.)
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CRIB), Castilla-La Mancha University (UCLM), 02008 Albacete, Spain
- Experimental Therapeutics Unit, Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clínico San Carlos (HCSC), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IdISSC) and CIBERONC, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
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