BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEPM01183 is a new synthetic tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid that is currently in phase I clinical development for the treatment of solid tumours. In this study we have characterized the interactions of PM01183 with selected DNA molecules of defined sequence and its in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHDNA binding characteristics of PM01183 were studied using electrophoretic mobility shift assays, fluorescence-based melting kinetic experiments and computational modelling methods. Its mechanism of action was investigated using flow cytometry, Western blot analysis and fluorescent microscopy. In vitro anti-tumour activity was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and the in vivo activity utilized several human cancer models. KEY RESULTSElectrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that PM01183 bound to DNA. Fluorescence-based thermal denaturation experiments showed that the most favourable DNA triplets providing a central guanine for covalent adduct formation are AGC, CGG, AGG and TGG. These binding preferences could be rationalized using molecular modelling. PM01183-DNA adducts in living cells give rise to double-strand breaks, triggering S-phase accumulation and apoptosis. The potent cytotoxic activity of PM01183 was ascertained in a 23-cell line panel with a mean GI50 value of 2.7 nM. In four murine xenograft models of human cancer, PM01183 inhibited tumour growth significantly with no weight loss of treated animals. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONSPM01183 is shown to bind to selected DNA sequences and promoted apoptosis by inducing double-strand breaks at nanomolar concentrations. The potent anti-tumour activity of PM01183 in several murine models of human cancer supports its development as a novel anti-neoplastic agent. Abbreviations

We have investigated the target and mechanism of action of a new family of cytotoxic small molecules of marine origin. PM050489 and its dechlorinated analogue PM060184 inhibit the growth of relevant cancer cell lines at subnanomolar concentrations. We found that they are highly potent microtubule inhibitors that impair mitosis with a distinct molecular mechanism. They bind with nanomolar affinity to unassembled αβ-tubulin dimers, and PM050489 binding is inhibited by known Vinca domain ligands. NMR TR-NOESY data indicated that a hydroxyl-containing analogue, PM060327, binds in an extended conformation, and STD results define its binding epitopes. Distinctly from vinblastine, these ligands only weakly induce tubulin self-association, in a manner more reminiscent of isohomohalichondrin B than of eribulin. PM050489, possibly acting like a hinge at the association interface between tubulin heterodimers, reshapes Mg(2+)-induced 42 S tubulin double rings into smaller 19 S single rings made of 7 ± 1 αβ-tubulin dimers. PM060184-resistant mutants of Aspergillus nidulans map to β-tubulin Asn100, suggesting a new binding site different from that of vinblastine at the associating β-tubulin end. Inhibition of assembly dynamics by a few ligand molecules at the microtubule plus end would explain the antitumor activity of these compounds, of which PM060184 is undergoing clinical trials.

Zalypsis ® is a new synthetic alkaloid tetrahydroisoquinoline antibiotic that has a reactive carbinolamine group. This functionality can lead to formation of a covalent bond with the amino group of selected guanines in the DNA double helix, both in the absence and in the presence of methylated cytosines. The resulting complex is additionally stabilized by the establishment of one or more hydrogen bonds with adjacent nucleotides in the opposite strand as well as by van der Waals interactions within the minor groove. Fluorescence-based thermal denaturation experiments demonstrated that the most favorable DNA triplets for covalent adduct formation are AGG, GGC, AGC, CGG and TGG, and these preferences could be rationalized on the basis of molecular modeling results. Zalypsis ®-DNA adducts eventually give rise to double-strand breaks, triggering S-phase accumulation and apoptotic cell death. The potent cytotoxic activity of Zalypsis ® was ascertained in a 24 cell line panel. The mean IC 50 value was 7 nM and leukemia and stomach tumor cell lines were amongst the most sensitive. Zalypsis ® administration in four murine xenograft models of human cancer demonstrates significant tumor growth inhibition that is highest in the Hs746t gastric cancer cell line with no weight loss of treated animals. Taken together, these results indicate that the potent antitumor activity of Zalypsis ® supports its current development in the clinic as an anticancer agent.

Ecteinascidin 743 (ET-743; Yondelis, Trabectedin) is a marine anticancer agent that induces long-lasting objective remissions and tumor control in a subset of patients with pretreated/resistant soft-tissue sarcoma. Druginduced tumor control is achievable in 22% of such patients, but there is no clear indication of the molecular features correlated with clinical sensitivity/resistance to ET-743. Nine low-passage, soft-tissue sarcoma cell lines, explanted from chemo-naïve patients with different patterns of sensitivity, have been profiled with a cDNA microarray containing 6,700 cancer-related genes. The molecular signature of these cell lines was analyzed at baseline and at four different times after ET-743 exposure. The association of levels of TP53 mutation and TP73 expression with ET-743 sensitivity and cell cycle kinetics after treatment was also analyzed. Gene expression profile analysis revealed up-regulation of 86 genes and down-regulation of 244 genes in response to ET-743. The ET-743 gene expression signature identified a group of genes related with cell cycle control, stress, and DNA-damage response (JUNB, ATF3, CS-1, SAT, GADD45B, and ID2) that were up-regulated in all the cell lines studied. The transcriptional signature 72 hours after ET-743 administration, associated with ET-743 sensitivity, showed a more efficient induction of genes involved in DNA-damage response and apoptosis, such as RAD17, BRCA1, PAR4, CDKN1A, and P53DINP1, in the sensitive cell line group. The transcriptional signature described here may lead to the identification of ET-743 downstream mediators and transcription regulators and the proposal of strategies by which ET-743 -sensitive tumors may be identified. [Mol Cancer Ther 2005;4(5):814 -23]

Irvalec is a marine-derived antitumor agent currently undergoing phase II clinical trials. In vitro, Irvalec induces a rapid loss of membrane integrity in tumor cells, accompanied of a significant Ca2+ influx, perturbations of membrane conductivity, severe swelling and the formation of giant membranous vesicles. All these effects are not observed in Irvalec-resistant cells, or are significantly delayed by pretreating the cells with Zn2+. Using fluorescent derivatives of Irvalec it was demonstrated that the compound rapidly interacts with the plasma membrane of tumor cells promoting lipid bilayer restructuration. Also, FRET experiments demonstrated that Irvalec molecules localize in the cell membrane close enough to each other as to suggest that the compound could self-organize, forming supramolecular structures that likely trigger cell death by necrosis through the disruption of membrane integrity.