ABSTRACT: In the 1950s the drug thalidomide administered as a sedative to pregnant women led ot the birth of thousands of children with multiple defects. Despite its teratogenicity, thalidomide and ist IMiD derivatives recently emerged as effective treatments for multiple myeloma and 5q-dysplasia. IMiDs target the CUL4-RBX1-DDB1-CRBN (CRL4(CRBN)) ubiquitin ligase. Through an unbiased screen we identify the homeobox trranscription factor MEIS2 as an endogenous substrate of CRL4(CRBN). By definition, a specific target of CRL4(CRBN) is expected to have a very low intensity on negative control arrays (E1_E2), (E1_CRBN), (E1_E2_Cdt2), (E1_E2_Cdt2_revlimid), (E1_E2_Cdt2_CSN) or with CRL4(CRBN) in presence of inhibitor (E1_E2_CRBN_revlimid) and high intensity on arrays with CRL4(CRBN) (E1_E2_CRBN) or CRL4(CRBN) in presence of CSN (E1_E2_CRBN_CSN) Accordingly 16 protein microarrays were subjected to in vitro ubiquitylation using the following enzyme combinations: 3x Uba1+UbcH5a; 2x Uba1+UbcH5a+CRL4(DDB2); 3x Uba1+UbcH5a+CRL4(CRBN); 2x Uba1+UbcH5a+CRL4(CRBN)+lenalidomide; 2x Uba1+UbcH5a+CRL4(CRBN)+CSN; 2x Uba1+UbcH5a+CRL4(Cdt2); 1x Uba1+UbcH5a+CRL4(Cdt2)+CSN; 1x Uba1+UbcH5a+CRL4(Cdt2)+lenalidomide
Project description:The precise molecular mechanism of action and targets through which thalidomide and related immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) exert their anti-tumor effects remains unclear. We investigated the role of cereblon (CRBN), a primary teratogenic target of thalidomide, in the anti-myeloma activity of IMiDs. CRBN depletion is initially cytotoxic to human myeloma cells but surviving cells with stable CRBN depletion become highly resistant to both lenalidomide and pomalidomide, but not to the unrelated drugs bortezomib, dexamethasone and melphalan. Acquired deletion of CRBN was found to be the primary genetic event differentiating isogenic MM1.S cell lines cultured to be sensitive or resistant to lenalidomide and pomalidomide. Gene expression changes induced by lenalidomide were dramatically suppressed in the presence of CRBN depletion further demonstrating that CRBN is required for lenalidomide activity. Downstream targets of CRBN include interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) previously reported to also be a target of lenalidomide. Patients exposed to and putatively resistant to lenalidomide had lower CRBN levels in paired samples before and after therapy. In summary, CRBN is an essential requirement for IMiD activity, and a possible biomarker for the clinical assessment of anti-myeloma efficacy. We included 15 samples from multiple myeloma cell lines.
Project description:The precise molecular mechanism of action and targets through which thalidomide and related immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) exert their anti-tumor effects remains unclear. We investigated the role of cereblon (CRBN), a primary teratogenic target of thalidomide, in the anti-myeloma activity of IMiDs. CRBN depletion is initially cytotoxic to human myeloma cells but surviving cells with stable CRBN depletion become highly resistant to both lenalidomide and pomalidomide, but not to the unrelated drugs bortezomib, dexamethasone and melphalan. Acquired deletion of CRBN was found to be the primary genetic event differentiating isogenic MM1.S cell lines cultured to be sensitive or resistant to lenalidomide and pomalidomide. Gene expression changes induced by lenalidomide were dramatically suppressed in the presence of CRBN depletion further demonstrating that CRBN is required for lenalidomide activity. Downstream targets of CRBN include interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) previously reported to also be a target of lenalidomide. Patients exposed to and putatively resistant to lenalidomide had lower CRBN levels in paired samples before and after therapy. In summary, CRBN is an essential requirement for IMiD activity, and a possible biomarker for the clinical assessment of anti-myeloma efficacy. We included two isogenic MM1.S cell lines, which differ in the sensibiligy to lenalidomide. We included MM1.S and MM1.S res, which were sensitive and resistant to lenalidomide, respectively.
Project description:The precise molecular mechanism of action and targets through which thalidomide and related immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) exert their anti-tumor effects remains unclear. We investigated the role of cereblon (CRBN), a primary teratogenic target of thalidomide, in the anti-myeloma activity of IMiDs. CRBN depletion is initially cytotoxic to human myeloma cells but surviving cells with stable CRBN depletion become highly resistant to both lenalidomide and pomalidomide, but not to the unrelated drugs bortezomib, dexamethasone and melphalan. Acquired deletion of CRBN was found to be the primary genetic event differentiating isogenic MM1.S cell lines cultured to be sensitive or resistant to lenalidomide and pomalidomide. Gene expression changes induced by lenalidomide were dramatically suppressed in the presence of CRBN depletion further demonstrating that CRBN is required for lenalidomide activity. Downstream targets of CRBN include interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) previously reported to also be a target of lenalidomide. Patients exposed to and putatively resistant to lenalidomide had lower CRBN levels in paired samples before and after therapy. In summary, CRBN is an essential requirement for IMiD activity, and a possible biomarker for the clinical assessment of anti-myeloma efficacy.
Project description:The precise molecular mechanism of action and targets through which thalidomide and related immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) exert their anti-tumor effects remains unclear. We investigated the role of cereblon (CRBN), a primary teratogenic target of thalidomide, in the anti-myeloma activity of IMiDs. CRBN depletion is initially cytotoxic to human myeloma cells but surviving cells with stable CRBN depletion become highly resistant to both lenalidomide and pomalidomide, but not to the unrelated drugs bortezomib, dexamethasone and melphalan. Acquired deletion of CRBN was found to be the primary genetic event differentiating isogenic MM1.S cell lines cultured to be sensitive or resistant to lenalidomide and pomalidomide. Gene expression changes induced by lenalidomide were dramatically suppressed in the presence of CRBN depletion further demonstrating that CRBN is required for lenalidomide activity. Downstream targets of CRBN include interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) previously reported to also be a target of lenalidomide. Patients exposed to and putatively resistant to lenalidomide had lower CRBN levels in paired samples before and after therapy. In summary, CRBN is an essential requirement for IMiD activity, and a possible biomarker for the clinical assessment of anti-myeloma efficacy.
Project description:Lenalidomide is a therapeutically active compound that binds to E3 ubiquitin ligase recruiter cereblon (CRBN) and induces cytotoxicity. We have identified eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 subunit C2 (EIF2C2) as a new member of CRBN-downstream binding protein that plays an important role in microRNA (miRNA) maturation and function. The treatment of immunomodulatory drug (IMiD)-sensitive multiple myeloma (MM) cells with lenalidomide altered the steady-state levels of CRBN, EIF2C2 and miRNAs and induced apoptosis. However, although the treatment of IMiD-resistant MM cells with lenalidomide altered the steady-state levels of CRBN, EIF2C2 and miRNAs, but did not massively induce apoptosis. In contrast, silencing of EIF2C2 with its small hairpin RNA significantly altered the levels of miRNAs and induced apoptosis regardless of whether those cells are sensitive or resistant to IMiDs. Therefore, EIF2C2 could be considered as a new drug target for overcoming IMiDs resistance in MM cells. To find the role of EIF2C2 in MM cell growth, OCI-My5 cell lines My5/LV and My5/CRBN, with low and high CRBN expression, respectively, were treated 12 different ways. The steady-state levels of miRNAs between (1) My5/LV, EIF2C2-shRNA-treated My5/LV and EIF2C2-cDNA-treated My5/LV cells, (2) My5/CRBN, EIF2C2-shRNA-treated My5/CRBN and EIF2C2-cDNA-treated My5/CRBN cells, (3) My5/LV cells, My5/LV cells treated with 10 µM lenalidomide for 72 hours or 120 hours, and EIF2C2-cDNA-treated My5/LV cells treated with 10 µM lenalidomide for 72 hours, and (4) My5/CRBN cells, My5/CRBN cells treated with 10 µM lenalidomide for 72 hours or 120 hours, and EIF2C2-cDNA-treated My5/CRBN cells treated with 10 µM lenalidomide for 72 hours, were compared in this array.
Project description:The E3 ligase factor cereblon (CRBN) is a target of thalidomide and lenalidomide, which are therapeutic agents used in the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies and as ligands for targeted protein degradation. These agents are proposed to mimic a naturally occurring degron; however, the structural motif recognized by the thalidomide-binding domain of CRBN is unknown. Here, we report that C-terminal cyclic imides, post-translational modifications that arise from intramolecular cyclization of glutamine or asparagine residues, are degrons for CRBN. Dipeptides bearing the cyclic imide degron are substitutes for thalidomide when embedded within bifunctional small molecule degraders. Installation of the degron to the C-terminus of proteins induces CRBN-dependent ubiquitylation and degradation in vitro and in cells. C-Terminal cyclic imides are previously underappreciated post-translational modifications found throughout the human proteome that are endogenously recognized and removed by CRBN. The discovery of the cyclic imide degron defines a novel regulatory process controlled by these modifications, which may impact the development of therapeutic agents that engage CRBN.
Project description:Gene expression profile (GEP) was analyzed from cultured bone marrow (BM) samples of patients with lenalidomide-responsive versus lenalidomide-resistant myeloma after 24 hours incubation in vitro with thalidomide (Thal) (0.8 µg/ml), lenalidomide (Len) (0.5 µg/ml) or with DMSO (control). Comparative gene expression profile of cultured bone marrow samples from patients with lenalidomide responsive versus lenalidomide resistant myeloma after 24 hours incubation in vitro with thalidomide, lenalidomide or DMSO (control).
Project description:Thalidomide and its derivatives lenalidomide and pomalidomide (IMiDs) are effective treatments of hematologic malignancies. It was shown that IMiDs impart gain of function properties to the CUL4-RBX1-DDB1-CRBN (CRL4CRBN) ubiquitin ligase that enable binding, ubiquitination and degradation of key therapeutic targets such as IKFZ1, IKZF3 and CSNK1A1. While these substrates have been implicated as efficacy targets in multiple myeloma (MM) and 5q deletion associated myelodysplastic syndrome (del(5q)-MDS), other targets likely exist. Using a pulse-chase SILAC mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach, we demonstrate that lenalidomide induces the ubiquitination and degradation of ZFP91. We establish that ZFP91 is a bona fide IMiD dependent CRL4CRBN substrate and further show that ZFP91 harbors a zinc finger (ZnF) motif, related to the IKZF1/3 ZnF, critical for IMiD dependent CRBN binding. These findings demonstrate that single time point pulse-chase SILAC mass spectrometry-based proteomics (pSILAC-MS) is a sensitive approach for target identification of small molecules inducing selective protein degradation.
Project description:Fink EC, McConkey M, Adams DN, Haldar SD, Guirguis A, Udeshi ND, Kennedy JA, Mani DR, Chen M, Svinkina T, Nguyen A, Carr SA, and Ebert BL. Blood 2018.
Thalidomide, infamous for its teratogenic effects, and derivatives lenalidomide and pomalidomide have found new clinical utility as treatments for multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndrome with del(5q). Despite their widespread clinical use, studies of these drugs have been limited by their lack of effect in rodent models. Here, we report the development of a knock-in mouse that is sensitive to thalidomide derivatives. Thalidomide analogs bind to CRBN and recruit protein targets to the CRL4CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase, resulting in their ubiquitination and subsequent degradation by the proteasome. Mice with a single amino acid change in Crbn, CrbnI391V, have thalidomide-induced degradation of drug targets identified in human cells including Ikaros, Aiolos, Zfp91, and Ck1-alpha. Previous work suggested that haploinsufficient expression of Ck1-alpha could explain the efficacy of lenalidomide in del(5q) myelodysplastic syndrome. Using the CrbnI391V model, we demonstrate that haploinsufficiency for Ck1-alpha confers lenalidomide sensitivity in vivo and that both lenalidomide-induced selection and Trp53-mediated resistance occur at the level of hematopoietic stem cells. We also demonstrate that CrbnI391V is sufficient to confer thalidomide-induced fetal loss in mice. Further study of the CrbnI391V model will provide valuable insights into the in vivo efficacy and toxicity of this class of drugs.
Project description:In the 1950s the drug thalidomide administered as a sedative to pregnant women led ot the birth of thousands of children with multiple defects. Despite its teratogenicity, thalidomide and ist IMiD derivatives recently emerged as effective treatments for multiple myeloma and 5q-dysplasia. IMiDs target the CUL4-RBX1-DDB1-CRBN (CRL4(CRBN)) ubiquitin ligase. Through an unbiased screen we identify the homeobox trranscription factor MEIS2 as an endogenous substrate of CRL4(CRBN).