1. Synergistic Anti-Tumor Effect of Combining Selective CDK7 and BRD4 Inhibition in Neuroblastoma.
- Author
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Gao Y, Volegova M, Nasholm N, Das S, Kwiatkowski N, Abraham BJ, Zhang T, Gray NS, Gustafson C, Krajewska M, and George RE
- Abstract
Purpose: Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) that have critical roles in RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-mediated gene transcription are emerging as therapeutic targets in cancer. We have previously shown that THZ1, a covalent inhibitor of CDKs 7/12/13, leads to cytotoxicity in MYCN -amplified neuroblastoma through the downregulation of super-enhancer-associated transcriptional upregulation. Here we determined the effects of YKL-5-124, a novel covalent inhibitor with greater selectivity for CDK7 in neuroblastoma cells., Experimental Design: We tested YKL-5-124 in MYCN -amplified and nonamplified neuroblastoma cells individually and in combination with other inhibitors in cell line and animal models. Cell viability, target validation, effects on cell cycle and transcription were analyzed., Results: CDK7 inhibition with YKL-5-124 did not lead to significant cell death, but resulted in aberrant cell cycle progression especially in MYCN -amplified cells. Unlike THZ1, YKL-5-124 had minimal effects on Pol II C-terminal domain phosphorylation, but significantly inhibited that of the CDK1 and CDK2 cell cycle kinases. Combining YKL-5-124 with the BRD4 inhibitor JQ1 resulted in synergistic cytotoxicity. A distinct MYCN -gene expression signature associated with resistance to BRD4 inhibition was suppressed with the combination. The synergy between YKL-5-124 and JQ1 translated into significant tumor regression in cell line and patient-derived xenograft mouse models of neuroblastoma., Conclusions: The combination of CDK7 and BRD4 inhibition provides a therapeutic option for neuroblastoma and suggests that the addition of YKL-5-124 could improve the therapeutic efficacy of JQ1 and delay resistance to BRD4 inhibition., Competing Interests: NG is a founder, science advisory board member (SAB), and equity holder in Syros, C4, Allorion, Jengu, B2S, Inception, EoCys, CobroVentures, GSK, Larkspur (board member), and Soltego (board member). The Gray lab receives or has received research funding from Novartis, Takeda, Astellas, Taiho, Jansen, Kinogen, Arbella, Deerfield, Springworks, Interline and Sanofi. TZ is a consultant and equity holder and founder of EoCys. BA is a shareholder in Syros Pharmaceuticals. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer, MI, declared a past co-authorship with one of the authors, RG, to the handling editor., (Copyright © 2022 Gao, Volegova, Nasholm, Das, Kwiatkowski, Abraham, Zhang, Gray, Gustafson, Krajewska and George.)
- Published
- 2022
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