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High-Throughput Drug Library Screening in Primary KMT2A-Rearranged Infant ALL Cells Favors the Identification of Drug Candidates That Activate P53 Signaling.

ABSTRACT: KMT2A-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in infants (<1 year of age) represents an aggressive type of childhood leukemia characterized by a poor clinical outcome with a survival chance of <50%. Implementing novel therapeutic approaches for these patients is a slow-paced and costly process. Here, we utilized a drug-repurposing strategy to identify potent drugs that could expeditiously be translated into clinical applications. We performed high-throughput screens of various drug libraries, comprising 4191 different (mostly FDA-approved) compounds in primary KMT2A-rearranged infant ALL patient samples (n = 2). The most effective drugs were then tested on non-leukemic whole bone marrow samples (n = 2) to select drugs with a favorable therapeutic index for bone marrow toxicity. The identified agents frequently belonged to several recurrent drug classes, including BCL-2, histone deacetylase, topoisomerase, microtubule, and MDM2/p53 inhibitors, as well as cardiac glycosides and corticosteroids. The in vitro efficacy of these drug classes was successfully validated in additional primary KMT2A-rearranged infant ALL samples (n = 7) and KMT2A-rearranged ALL cell line models (n = 5). Based on literature studies, most of the identified drugs remarkably appeared to lead to activation of p53 signaling. In line with this notion, subsequent experiments showed that forced expression of wild-type p53 in KMT2A-rearranged ALL cells rapidly led to apoptosis induction. We conclude that KMT2A-rearranged infant ALL cells are vulnerable to p53 activation, and that drug-induced p53 activation may represent an essential condition for successful treatment results. Moreover, the present study provides an attractive collection of approved drugs that are highly effective against KMT2A-rearranged infant ALL cells while showing far less toxicity towards non-leukemic bone marrow, urging further (pre)clinical testing.

SUBMITTER: Wander P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8945716 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

High-Throughput Drug Library Screening in Primary <i>KMT2A</i>-Rearranged Infant ALL Cells Favors the Identification of Drug Candidates That Activate P53 Signaling.

Wander Priscilla P Arentsen-Peters Susan T C J M STCJM Vrenken Kirsten S KS Pinhanҫos Sandra Mimoso SM Koopmans Bianca B Dolman M Emmy M MEM Jones Luke L Garrido Castro Patricia P Schneider Pauline P Kerstjens Mark M Molenaar Jan J JJ Pieters Rob R Zwaan Christian Michel CM Stam Ronald W RW

Biomedicines 20220310 3

KMT2A-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in infants (<1 year of age) represents an aggressive type of childhood leukemia characterized by a poor clinical outcome with a survival chance of <50%. Implementing novel therapeutic approaches for these patients is a slow-paced and costly process. Here, we utilized a drug-repurposing strategy to identify potent drugs that could expeditiously be translated into clinical applications. We performed high-throughput screens of various drug librari ...[more]

PMID: 35327440

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Project description:BackgroundInfants with KMT2A-rearranged B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have poor outcomes. There is an urgent need to identify novel agents to improve survival. Proteasome inhibition has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for several hematological malignancies. The aim of this study was to determine the preclinical efficacy of the selective proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib, for infants with KMT2A-rearranged ALL.MethodsEight infant ALL cell lines were extensively characterized for immunophenotypic and cytogenetic features. In vitro cytotoxicity to carfilzomib was assessed using a modified Alamar Blue assay with cells in logarithmic growth. The Bliss Independence model was applied to determine synergy between carfilzomib and the nine conventional chemotherapeutic agents used to treat infants with ALL. Established xenograft models were used to identify the maximal tolerated dose of carfilzomib and determine in vivo efficacy.ResultsCarfilzomib demonstrated low IC50 concentrations within the nanomolar range (6.0-15.8 nm) across the panel of cell lines. Combination drug testing indicated in vitro synergy between carfilzomib and several conventional chemotherapeutic agents including vincristine, daunorubicin, dexamethasone, L-asparaginase, and 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide. In vivo assessment did not lead to a survival advantage for either carfilzomib monotherapy, when used to treat both low or high disease burden, or for carfilzomib in combination with multi-agent induction chemotherapy comprising of vincristine, dexamethasone, and L-asparaginase.ConclusionsOur study highlights that in vitro efficacy does not necessarily translate to benefit in vivo and emphasizes the importance of in vivo validation prior to suggesting an agent for clinical use. Whilst proteasome inhibitors have an important role to play in several hematological malignancies, our findings guard against prioritization of carfilzomib for treatment of KMT2A-rearranged infant ALL in the clinical setting.

Dataset Information

High-Throughput Drug Library Screening in Primary KMT2A-Rearranged Infant ALL Cells Favors the Identification of Drug Candidates That Activate P53 Signaling.

Publications

High-Throughput Drug Library Screening in Primary <i>KMT2A</i>-Rearranged Infant ALL Cells Favors the Identification of Drug Candidates That Activate P53 Signaling.

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