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OBJECTIVE: As a key member of transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily, TRP canonical 3 (TRPC3) regulates calcium homeostasis and contributes to neuronal excitability. Ablation of TRPC3 lessens pilocarpine-induced seizures in mice, suggesting that TRPC3 inhibition might represent a novel antiseizure strategy. Among current TRPC3 inhibitors, pyrazole 3 (Pyr3) is most selective and potent. However, Pyr3 merely provides limited benefits in pilocarpine-treated mice likely due to its low metabolic stability and potential toxicity. We recently reported a modified pyrazole compound 20 (or JW-65) that has improved stability and safety. The objective of this study was to explore the effects of TRPC3 inhibition by our current lead compound JW-65 on seizure susceptibility. METHODS: We first examined the pharmacokinetic properties including plasma half-life and brain to plasma ratio of JW-65 after systemic administration in mice. We then investigated the effects of TRPC3 inhibition by JW-65 on behavioral and electrographic seizures in mice treated with pilocarpine. To ensure our findings are not model specific, we assessed the susceptibility of JW-65-treated mice to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures with phenytoin as a comparator. RESULTS: JW-65 showed adequate half-life and brain penetration in mice, justifying its uses for CNS conditions. Systemic treatment with JW-65 before pilocarpine injection in mice markedly impaired the initiation of behavioral seizures. This antiseizure action was recapitulated when JW-65 was administered after pilocarpine-induced behavioral seizures were well established and was confirmed by time-locked electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring and synchronized video. Moreover, JW-65-treated mice showed substantially decreased susceptibility to PTZ-induced seizures in a dose-dependent manner. SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that pharmacological inhibition of the TRPC3 channels by our novel compound JW-65 might represent a new antiseizure strategy engaging a previously undrugged mechanism of action. Hence, this proof-of-concept study establishes the TRPC3 as a novel feasible therapeutic target for the treatment of some forms of epilepsy.

Supplementary Figure S1. Survivin and EMT markers were stained in sections of ovarian tumor of survivin KO and control mice; Supplementary Figure S2. Ovarian cancer cell migration and invasion following inhibition of apoptosis; Supplementary Figure S3. Cell viability in the upper chamber following treatment of MX106 in the migration assay; Supplementary Figure S4. Cell viability in the upper chamber following treatment of MX106 in the invasion assay; Supplementary Figure S5. SMAD dependent reporter gene luciferase activity; Supplementary Figure S6. TGFβ did not activate non-SMAD pathway in ovarian cancer cells; Supplementary Figure S7. Immunostaining for survivin and EMT markers in sections of ovarian tumor tissue following MX106 or vehicle treatment.

Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis family, is upregulated in multiple cancers including ovarian cancer, but is rarely detectable in normal tissues. We previously reported that survivin promoted epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in ovarian cancer cells, suggesting that survivin may contribute to ovarian tumor metastasis and chemoresistance. In this study, we tested whether knockout or pharmacologic inhibition of survivin overcomes chemoresistance and suppresses tumor metastasis. The genetic loss of survivin suppressed tumor metastasis in an orthotopic ovarian cancer mouse model. To pharmacologically test the role of survivin on ovarian tumor metastasis, we treated chemo-resistant ovarian cancer cells with a selective survivin inhibitor, MX106, and found that MX106 effectively overcame chemoresistance in vitro. MX106 inhibited cell migration and invasion by attenuating the TGFβ pathway and inhibiting EMT in ovarian cancer cells. To evaluate the efficacy of MX106 in inhibiting ovarian tumor metastasis, we treated an orthotopic ovarian cancer mouse model with MX106, and found that MX106 efficiently inhibited primary tumor growth in ovaries and metastasis in multiple peritoneal organs as compared with vehicle-treated control mice. Our data demonstrate that inhibition of survivin using either genetic knockout or a novel inhibitor MX106 suppresses primary ovarian tumor growth and metastasis, supporting that targeting survivin could be an effective therapeutic approach in ovarian cancer.

Supplementary Figures and Tables - PDF file 898K, Supplementary Table ST1: AKR1C3 over-expression in HEK-293 cells reduces IC50 of androgens. Supplementary Table ST2: Finasteride increases the testosterone formation. Supplementary Figure S1: Over-expression of AKR1C3 increases LNCaP xenograft growth in intact mice. Supplementary Figure S2: AR target FKBP51, but not AR, protein expression is increased in LNCaP-AKR1C3 xenograft tumors. Supplementary Figure S3: AKR1C3 translocation to nucleus requires AR. Top panel. NIH3T3-AKR1C3 cells infected with adenovirus LacZ. Bottom panel. NIH3T3-AKR1C3 cells infected with adenovirus AR.Supplementary Figure S4: AKR1C3 migrates with AR. Supplementary Figure S5: Duolink assay demonstrates interaction between AR and AKR1C3 in LNCaP-AKR1C3 cells. Supplementary Figure S6: AKR1C3 synergizes with SRC-2 in AR transactivation assay. Supplementary Figure S7: AKR1C3 dependent- androgen induced- AR transactivation is not cell type dependent. Transient transactivation studies conducted in COS-1 cells Supplementary Figure S8: AKR1C3-dependent increase in transactivation is selective to AR. Supplementary Figure S9: R1881 induced- AKR1C3 dependent- AR transactivation is not observed with other AKR1C. Supplementary Figure-S10: Different domains mediate the enzymatic and activator functions of AKR1C3. Supplementary Figure S11: GTx-560 is specific for AKR1C3. Supplementary Figure S12: HEK-293-AKR1C3 enzyme activity. Supplementary Figure S14: GTx-560 inhibits AKR1C3-dependent A�dione-induced AR transactivation at all concentration of AKR1C3. Supplementary Figure S15: Expression of steroidogenic enzymes in VCaP cells

Supplementary Methods - PDF file 62K, Additional methods to support the manuscript 1. Cloning and protein purification 2. AKR1C3 enzyme activity and thin layer chromatography (TLC)

Purpose: Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) may occur by several mechanisms including the upregulation of androgen receptor (AR), coactivators, and steroidogenic enzymes, including aldo keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3). AKR1C3 converts weaker 17-keto androgenic precursors to more potent 17-hydroxy androgens and is consistently the major upregulated gene in CRPC. The studies in the manuscript were undertaken to examine the role of AKR1C3 in AR function and CRPC.Experimental Design: LNCaP cells stably transfected with AKR1C3 and VCaP cells endogenously expressing AKR1C3 were used to understand the effect of AKR1C3 on prostate cancer cell and tumor growth in nude mice. Chromatin immunoprecipitation, confocal microscopy, and co-immunoprecipitation studies were used to understand the recruitment of AKR1C3, intracellular localization of AKR1C3 and its interaction with AR in cells, tumor xenograft, and in Gleason sum 7 CRPC tissues. Cells were transiently transfected for AR transactivation. Novel small-molecule AKR1C3-selective inhibitors were synthesized and characterized in androgen-dependent prostate cancer and CRPC models.Results: We identified unique AR-selective coactivator- and prostate cancer growth-promoting roles for AKR1C3. AKR1C3 overexpression promotes the growth of both androgen-dependent prostate cancer and CRPC xenografts, with concomitant reactivation of androgen signaling. AKR1C3 interacted with AR in prostate cancer cells, xenografts, and in human CRPC samples and was recruited to the promoter of an androgen-responsive gene. The coactivator and growth-promoting functions of AKR1C3 were inhibited by an AKR1C3-selective competitive inhibitor.Conclusions: AKR1C3 is a novel AR-selective enzymatic coactivator and may represent the first of more than 200 known nuclear hormone receptor coactivators that can be pharmacologically targeted. Clin Cancer Res; 19(20); 5613–25. ©2013 AACR.

Extensive preclinical studies have shown that colchicine-binding site inhibitors (CBSIs) are promising drug candidates for cancer therapy. Although numerous CBSIs were generated and evaluated, but so far the FDA has not approved any of them due to undesired adverse events or insufficient efficacies. We previously reported two very potent CBSIs, the dihydroquinoxalinone compounds 5m and 5t. In this study, we further optimized the structures of compounds 5m and 5t and integrated them to generate an new analog, SB226. X-ray crystal structure studies and a tubulin polymerization assay confirmed that SB226 is a CBSI that could disrupt the microtubule dynamics and interfere with microtubule assembly. Biophysical measurements using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy verified the high binding affinity of SB226 to tubulin dimers. The in vitro studies showed that SB226 possessed sub-nanomolar anti-proliferative activities with an average IC

The MDM2 oncogene is amplified and/or overexpressed in various human cancers and elevated expression of MDM2 protein acts as a survival factor promoting cancer progression mainly through inhibition of the tumor suppressor p53. Here, we report a novel small-molecule chemical compound (MX69-114b) that we identified to induce MDM2 protein degradation resulting in reactivation of p53 and potent cell growth inhibition and apoptosis in MDM2-overexpressing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We have previously identified a compound (MX69) that binds to the MDM2 C-terminal RING domain and induces MDM2 protein degradation. In the present study, we performed structural modification of MX69 and selected analog MX69-114b showing increased MDM2-targeting activity. MX69-114b exhibited significantly enhanced inhibitory and apoptotic effects on a group of MDM2-overexpressing ALL cell lines in vitro with IC50 values of 0.08-0.14 µM, representing a >80-100-fold increase in activity compared to MX69. MX69-114b also showed inhibitory effects on xenografted human MDM2-overexpressing ALL in SCID mice at a much lower dose than did MX69. Importantly, MX69-114b had minimal or no inhibitory effect on normal human hematopoiesis in vitro and was very well tolerated in vivo in animal models. Based on the strong inhibitory and apoptotic activity against MDM2-overexpressing ALL, along with minimal or no toxicity to normal cells/tissues, MX69-114b is a candidate for further development as a novel MDM2-targeted therapeutic drug for refractory ALL. Citation Format: tao Liu, Lubing Gu, Anna Mui, Zhongzhi Wu, Wei Li, Muxiang Zhou. A MDM2 degrader inhibits cell proliferation and growth of MDM2-overexpressing acute lymphoblastic leukemia in SCID mice [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 470.

Melanoma is the most lethal skin cancer, with the increasing incidence in the past decade. Despite the significant advancements in immune therapy and targeted therapy, the overall prognosis for metastatic melanoma remains unsatisfactory. TP53 is a tumor suppressor, but its wildtype is inactivated in about 90% of melanoma. Since activated p53 can promote cancer cell apoptosis and thus effectively inhibit tumor growth and tumor metastasis, reactivation of p53 is considered a promising strategy for cancer therapy. Herein, we report a recently developed small molecule compound, JW-1-283, targeting the interactions between MDM2 E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase and p53 protein. In vitro, JW-1-283 showed potent cytotoxicity against A375 melanoma cell line (IC50 2.2±0.3 μM) which has wildtype p53, but its potency is substantially reduced in two other melanoma cell lines with either p53 mutation (M14) or p53 null (RPMI-7951) status. Treatment with JW-1-283 significantly dose-dependently reduced the stemness in A375 melanoma cells, as indicated by low numbers of colony formation, impaired tumor sphere formation abilities, and inhibition of cancer cell migration. Mechanistically, JW-1-283 disrupts the p53-MDM2 interaction, prevents p53 and MDM2 degradation in the existence of cycloheximide, and induces p38 and p53 phosphorylation in the apoptotic pathway. Genetic knockdown of p38 by siRNA further confirmed that the stabilized p53 could be subsequently phosphorylated by p38, leading to induced apoptosis as well as S phase cell cycle arrest. In vivo, when A375 tumors grown in NSG mice were treated with 7.5 mg/kg of JW-1-283 intraperitoneally every other day for a consecutive of 16 days, significant inhibition of tumor growth was observed, along with decreased tumor cell proliferation, tumor angiogenesis, and enhanced tumor cell apoptosis. In summary, this work provides the initial proof-of-concept of developing the JW-1-283 scaffold as a potential strategy for advanced melanoma, which inhibits tumor growth by activating the p53 signaling pathway. Citation Format: Yang Xie, Kelli Hartman, Zhongzhi Wu, Wei Li. JW-1-283 inhibits melanoma tumor growth via the stabilization of p53 pathway [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 2784.