Chalcone is a unique template that is associated with several biological activities. In this review, an update of the cytotoxic and chemoprotective activities of chalcones is provided. Cytotoxicity against tumour cell lines may be the result of disruption of the cell cycle, inhibition of angiogenesis, interference with p53-MDM2 interaction, mitochondrial uncoupling or induction of apoptosis. Structural requirements for cytotoxic activity vary according to the mechanisms of action. For anti-mitotic activity, the presence of methoxy substituents, alpha-methylation of the enone moiety and the presence of 2' oxygenated substituents are favourable features. Conformational restraint of the chalcone template generally leads to a decrease in cytotoxic activity. Chemoprotection by chalcones may be a consequence of their antioxidant properties, mediated via inhibition or induction of metabolic enzymes, by an anti-invasive effect or a reduction in nitric oxide production. Hydroxyl and prenyl substituents are associated with antioxidant properties and induction of quinone reductase activities. The thiol reactivity of chalcones is likely to contribute to both cytotoxic and chemoprotective properties of these compounds.

Acetylation of the RelA subunit of NF-κB at lysine-310 regulates the transcriptional activation of NF-κB target genes and contributes to maintaining constitutively active NF-κB in tumors. Bromodomain-containing factor Brd4 has been shown to bind to acetylated lysine-310 and to regulate the transcriptional activity of NF-κB, but the role of this binding in maintaining constitutively active NF-κB in tumors remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrate the structural basis for the binding of bromodomains of Brd4 to acetylated lysine-310 and identify bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 as an effective small molecule to block this interaction. JQ1 suppresses TNF-α-mediated NF-κB activation and NF-κB-dependent target gene expression. Additionally, JQ1 inhibits the proliferation and transformation potential of A549 lung cancer cells and suppresses the tumorigenicity of A549 cells in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. Furthermore, we demonstrate that depletion of Brd4 or treatment of cells with JQ1 induces the ubiquitination and degradation of constitutively active nuclear form of RelA. Our results identify a novel function of Brd4 in maintaining the persistently active form of NF-κB found in tumors, and they suggest that interference with the interaction between acetylated RelA and Brd4 could be a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of NF-κB-driven cancer.

SUMMARY The complex biochemical effects of RAF inhibitors account for both the effectiveness and mechanisms of resistance to these drugs, but a unified mechanistic model has been lacking. Here we show that RAF inhibitors exert their effects via two distinct allosteric mechanisms. Drug resistance due to dimerization is determined by the position of the αC-helix stabilized by inhibitor, whereas inhibitor-induced RAF priming and dimerization are the result of inhibitor-induced formation of the RAF/RAS-GTP complex. The biochemical effect of RAF inhibitor in cells is the combined outcome of the two mechanisms. Therapeutic strategies including αC-helix-IN inhibitors are more effective in multiple mutant BRAF-driven tumor models, including colorectal and thyroid BRAFV600E cancers, in which first generation RAF inhibitors have been ineffective.

SUMMARYThe complex biochemical effects of RAF inhibitors account for both the effectiveness and mechanisms of resistance to these drugs, but a unified mechanistic model has been lacking. HereCorrespondence and requests for materials should be addressed to: Poulikos.poulikakos@mssm.edu or evripidis.gavathiotis@einstein.yu.edu. * These authors contributed equally to this work Accession numbers. Structural coordinates and parameters have been submitted to the Protein Database Bank under the following accession codes: 4RZV for BRAF R509H /VEM, 4RZW for BRAF R509H /AZ and 5ITA for BRAF WT /AZ-VEM. Other structural coordinates used in this study are the following: PDB ID: 4KSP for TAK bound to BRAF dimer, PDB ID: 3OG7 for VEM bound to BRAF V600E dimer, PDB ID: 4MNF for GDC bound to BRAF V600E dimer, PDB ID: 2FB8 for SB bound to BRAF dimer, PDB ID: 4XV2 for DAB bound to BRAF V600E dimer and PDB ID: 4XV1 for PB bound to BRAF V600E dimer and PDB 4MNE for the BRAF/MEK complex. AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONSP.I.P., E.G., C.K., M.H., A.L., Z.K., Y.W. and T.A.A designed experiments. Z.K., T.A.A conducted biochemical and cellular studies. E.G., Y.W. performed structural determination and structural analysis. X.W. generated the CRAF-V5 CRISPR cell line. Q.X. synthesized the AZ-VEM compound. C.K., M.H., J.A.F., A.L., E.G., P.I.P. designed animal studies. Z.K., T.A.A and J.B. conducted animal experiments. C.Z. and G.B. provided reagents and analyzed data. P.I.P. and E.G. designed research, analyzed data and wrote the manuscript, which was edited by all authors.C.Z. and G.B. are employees of Plexxikon Inc. All other authors declare no competing financial interests.Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. we show that RAF inhibitors exert their effects via two distinct allosteric mechanisms. Drug resistance due to dimerization is determined by the position of the αC-helix stabilized by inhibitor, whereas inhibitor-induced RAF priming and dimerization are the result of inhibitor-induced formation of the RAF/RAS-GTP complex. The biochemical effect of RAF inhibitor in cells is the combined outcome of the two mechanisms. Therapeutic strategies including αC-helix-IN inhibitors are more effective in multiple mutant BRAF-driven tumor models, including colorectal and thyroid BRAF V600E cancers, in which first generation RAF inhibitors have been ineffective. HHS Public Access

SUMMARY Pharmacologic targeting of components of ERK signaling in ERK-dependent tumors is often limited by adaptive resistance, frequently mediated by feedback-activation of RTK signaling and rebound of ERK activity. Here, we show that combinatorial pharmacologic targeting of ERK signaling and the SHP2 phosphatase prevents adaptive resistance in defined subsets of ERK-dependent tumors. In each tumor that was sensitive to combined treatment, p(Y542) SHP2 induction was observed in response to ERK signaling inhibition. The strategy was broadly effective in TNBC models and tumors with RAS mutations at G12, whereas tumors with RAS(G13D) or RAS(Q61X) mutations were resistant. In addition, we identified a subset of BRAF(V600E) tumors that were resistant to the combined treatment, in which FGFR was found to drive feedback-induced RAS activation, independently of SHP2. Thus, we identify molecular determinants of response to combined ERK signaling and SHP2 inhibition in ERK-dependent tumors.

Bromodomain-containing factor Brd4 has emerged as an important transcriptional regulator of NF-κB-dependent inflammatory gene expression. However, the in vivo physiological function of Brd4 in the inflammatory response remains poorly defined. We now demonstrate that mice deficient for Brd4 in myeloid-lineage cells are resistant to LPS-induced sepsis but are more susceptible to bacterial infection. Gene-expression microarray analysis of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) reveals that deletion of Brd4 decreases the expression of a significant amount of LPS-induced inflammatory genes while reversing the expression of a small subset of LPS-suppressed genes, including MAP kinase-interacting serine/ threonine-protein kinase 2 (Mknk2). Brd4-deficient BMDMs display enhanced Mnk2 expression and the corresponding eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) activation after LPS stimulation, leading to an increased translation of IκBα mRNA in polysomes. The enhanced newly synthesized IκBα reduced the binding of NF-κB to the promoters of inflammatory genes, resulting in reduced inflammatory gene expression and cytokine production. By modulating the translation of IκBα via the Mnk2-eIF4E pathway, Brd4 provides an additional layer of control for NF-κB-dependent inflammatory gene expression and inflammatory response.T he inducible transcription factor NF-κB plays a key role in regulating the inflammatory and immune responses in mammals (1, 2). The prototypical NF-κB complex, the heterodimer of p50 and RelA, is sequestered in the cytoplasm by its assembly with its inhibitor IκBα (1, 2). Upon stimulation, IκB kinase complex is activated and phosphorylates IκBα, leading to the degradation of IκBα, the nuclear translocation of NF-κB complex, and the activation of NF-κB target genes (1-3). Importantly, one of NF-κB target genes is its inhibitor, IκBα. The resynthesized IκBα enters the nucleus, where it removes the NF-κB from the DNA and terminates activated NF-κB (1, 2, 4). The resynthesis of IκBα therefore creates a negative feedback regulation of NF-κB signaling, preventing sustained NF-κB activation and prolonged inflammatory response.In addition to the negative feedback regulation from resynthesized IκBα, the NF-κB-mediated inflammatory response is subjected to many layers of regulation, including transcriptional, translational, and posttranslational regulation (5-8). Recent studies demonstrate that selective translational control of gene expression plays an important regulatory role in the inflammatory response (7, 9). The eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E has been shown to be the node of the translational control of immune response via the mTOR signaling pathway or the MAPK-Mnk1-Mnk2-eIF4E pathway (9). Upon LPS stimulation, eIF4E can be activated via its phosphorylation at S209 by Mnk1/2 (10). The phosphorylated eIF4E then activates the translation of mRNA of inflammatory genes, including IRF8 (11, 12). Interestingly, the translation of IκBα is also regulated by the phosphorylation and activation of e...

Using a panel of cancer cell lines, we characterized a novel degrader of AKT, MS21. In mutant PI3K/PTEN pathway lines, AKT degradation was superior to AKT kinase inhibition for reducing cell growth and sustaining lower signalling over many days. AKT degradation but not kinase inhibition profoundly lowered Aurora kinase B (AURKB) protein, which is known to be essential for cell division, and induced G2/M arrest and hyperploidy. PI3K activated AKT phosphorylation of AURKB on threonine 73, which protected it from proteasome degradation. A mutant of AURKB (T73E) that mimics phosphorylation and blocks degradation rescued cells from growth inhibition. Degrader resistant lines were associated with low AKT phosphorylation, wild type PI3K/PTEN status, and mutation of KRAS/BRAF. Pan-cancer analysis identified that 19% of cases have PI3K/PTEN pathway mutation without RAS pathway mutation, suggesting that these cancer patients could benefit from AKT degrader therapy that leads to loss of AURKB.

Isthmin 1 (ISM1) constitutes the founder of a new family of secreted proteins characterized by the presence of 2 functional domains: thrombospondin type 1 repeat (TSR1) and adhesion-associated domain in MUC4 and other proteins (AMOP). ISM1 was identified in the frog embryo as a member of the FGF8 synexpression group due to its expression in the brain midbrain–hindbrain boundary (MHB) or isthmus. In zebrafish, ISM1 was described as a WNT- and NODAL-regulated gene. The function of ISM1 remains largely elusive. So far, ISM1 has been described as an angiogenesis inhibitor that has a dual function in endothelial cell survival and cell death. For a better understanding of ISM1 function, we examined its spatiotemporal distribution in mouse and chick using RT-PCR, ISH, and IHC analyses. In the mouse, ISM1 transcripts are found in tissues such as the anterior mesendoderm, paraxial and lateral plate mesoderm, MHB and trunk neural tube, as well as in the somites and dermomyotome. In the newborn and adult, ISM1 is prominently expressed in the lung and brain. In addition to its putative role during embryonic and postnatal development, ISM1 may also be important for organ homeostasis in the adult. In the chick embryo, ISM1 transcripts are strongly detected in the ear, eye, and spinal cord primordia. Remarkable differences in ISM1 spatiotemporal expression were found during mouse and chick development, despite the high homology of ISM1 orthologs in these species.