TAS4464, a NEDD8-activating enzyme inhibitor, activates both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways via c-Myc-mediated regulation in acute myeloid leukemia

Oncogene. 2021 Feb;40(7):1217-1230. doi: 10.1038/s41388-020-01586-4. Epub 2021 Jan 8.

Abstract

TAS4464, a potent, selective small molecule NEDD8-activating enzyme (NAE) inhibitor, leads to inactivation of cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) and consequent accumulations of its substrate proteins. Here, we investigated the antitumor properties and action mechanism of TAS4464 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). TAS4464 induced apoptotic cell death in various AML cell lines. TAS4464 treatments resulted in the activation of both the caspase-9-mediated intrinsic apoptotic pathway and caspase-8-mediated extrinsic apoptotic pathway in AML cells; combined treatment with inhibitors of these caspases markedly diminished TAS4464-induced apoptosis. In each apoptotic pathway, TAS4464 induced the mRNA transcription of the intrinsic proapoptotic factor NOXA and decreased that of the extrinsic antiapoptotic factor c-FLIP. RNA-sequencing analysis showed that the signaling pathway of the CRL substrate c-Myc was enriched after TAS4464 treatment. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay revealed that TAS4464-induced c-Myc bound to the PMAIP1 (encoding NOXA) and CFLAR (encoding c-FLIP) promoter regions, and siRNA-mediated c-Myc knockdown neutralized both TAS4464-mediated NOXA induction and c-FLIP downregulation. TAS4464 activated both caspase-8 and caspase-9 along with an increase in NOXA and a decrease in c-FLIP, resulting in complete tumor remission in a human AML xenograft model. These findings suggest that NAE inhibition leads to anti-AML activity via a novel c-Myc-dependent apoptosis induction mechanism.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • CASP8 and FADD-Like Apoptosis Regulating Protein / genetics
  • Caspase 8 / genetics
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / drug therapy*
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / genetics
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / pathology
  • Mice
  • NEDD8 Protein / antagonists & inhibitors
  • NEDD8 Protein / genetics*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / genetics*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / genetics*
  • Pyrimidines / pharmacology*
  • Pyrroles / pharmacology*
  • RNA, Small Interfering / genetics
  • RNA, Small Interfering / pharmacology
  • RNA-Seq
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / genetics
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • CASP8 and FADD-Like Apoptosis Regulating Protein
  • CFLAR protein, human
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • MYC protein, human
  • NEDD8 Protein
  • NEDD8 protein, human
  • PMAIP1 protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc
  • Pyrimidines
  • Pyrroles
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • TAS4464
  • CULL-RING ligase, human
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
  • CASP8 protein, human
  • Caspase 8