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New BRD4-inhibitor quinoline compound targets a distinct latent HIV-1 reservoir for re-activation from canonical “shock” drugs

ABSTRACT: Upon HIV-1 infection, a reservoir of latently infected resting T cells prevents the eradication of the virus from patients. To achieve complete depletion, the existing virus-suppressing antiretroviral therapy must be combined with drugs that reactivate the dormant viruses. We previously described a novel chemical scaffold compound, MMQO (8-methoxy-6-methylquinolin-4-ol) that is able to reactivate viral transcription in J-Lat T cell model of latency through an unknown mechanism. Here we demonstrate that MMQO activates HIV-1 in ex vivo latently infected primary CD4 T cells, where it synergizes with the PKC agonist prostratin. Gene expression microarray analysis in Jurkat cells indicated that MMQO treatment results in robust immunosuppression, affects cell proliferation by rapidly diminishing expression of the transcription factor c-Myc, and causes the dysregulation of acetylation sensitive genes. These hallmarks indicated that MMQO mimics acetylated lysines of core histones and might function as a bromodomain and extraterminal domain protein family inhibitor (BETi). MMQO functionally mimics the effects of JQ1, a well-known BETi. We confirmed that MMQO interacts with the BET family bromodomain BRD4. Utilizing MMQO and JQ1, we demonstrate how the inhibition of BRD4 targets a distinct subset of latently integrated barcoded proviruses from those targeted by HDAC inhibitors or PKC pathway agonists. Thus, the scaffold compound MMQO is a new member of the BET family inhibitors, which due to its minimalistic structure holds promise for further optimization for increased affinity and specificity for distinct bromodomain family members and could potentially be of use against a variety of diseases, including HIV.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE100289 | GEO | 2018/06/21

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Targeting the epigenome to modulate gene expression programs driving cancer development has emerged as an exciting avenue for therapeutic intervention. Pharmacological inhibition of the bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) family of chromatin adapter proteins has proven effective in this regard, suppressing growth of diverse cancer types mainly through downregulation of the c-MYC oncogene and its downstream transcriptional program. While initially effective, resistance to BET inhibitors (BETi) typically occurs through mechanisms that reactivate MYC expression. We have previously shown that lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) is inhibited by JQ1 through suppression of FOSL1, suggesting that the epigenetic landscape of tumor cells from different origins and differentiation states influences BETi response. Here, we assessed how these differences affect mechanisms of BETi resistance through the establishment of isogenic pairs of JQ1 sensitive and resistant LAC cell lines. We found that resistance to JQ1 in LAC occurs independent of FOSL1 while MYC levels remain unchanged between resistant cells and their JQ1 treated parental counterparts. Furthermore, while epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is observed upon resistance, TGF- induced EMT did not confer resistance in JQ1 sensitive LAC lines, suggesting this is a consequence, rather than a driver of BETi resistance in our model systems. Importantly, siRNA knockdown demonstrated that JQ1 resistant cell lines are still dependent on BRD4 expression and we found that phosphorylation of BRD4 is elevated in resistant LACs, identifying casein kinase 2 (CK2) as a candidate protein mediating this effect. Inhibition of CK2, as well as downstream transcriptional targets of phosphorylated BRD4 - including AXL and activators of the PI3K pathway - synergize with JQ1 to inhibit BETi resistant LAC. Overall, this demonstrates that the mechanism of resistance to BETi varies depending on cancer type, with LAC cells developing JQ1 resistance independent of MYC re-activation, and identifying CK2 phosphorylation of BRD4 as a potential target to overcome resistance in this cancer.

Project description:The switch between HIV latency and productive transcription is regulated by an auto-feedback mechanism initiated by the viral trans-activator Tat, which functions to recruit the host transcription elongation factor P-TEFb to proviral HIV. A heterodimeric complex of CDK9 and one of three cyclin T subunits, P-TEFb is expressed at vanishingly low levels in latently infected memory CD4+ T cells and cellular mechanisms controlling its availability for proviral transcription are not well-defined. Using a well-characterized primary T-cell model of HIV latency alongside healthy donor memory CD4+ T cells, we sought to identify specific T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathways that regulate the generation of transcriptionally active P-TEFb, defined as the coordinate expression of cyclin T1 and phospho-Ser175 CDK9. Unexpectedly, cellular treatment with diacylglycerol-mimicking protein kinase C (PKC) agonists in the absence of intracellular calcium mobilization with an ionophore was sufficient to stimulate active P-TEFb expression and reactivate latent HIV with minimal cytotoxicity. Furthermore, inhibition-based experiments demonstrated that PKC agonists and TCR-mobilized diacylglycerol signal through MAP kinases ERK1/2 rather than through PKC to effect the reactivation of both P-TEFb and latent HIV. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis revealed that of the four known isoforms of RasGRP, the diacylglycerol-dependent Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factor RasGRP1 is by far the predominantly expressed isoform in memory CD4+ T cells and should therefore mediate the activation of ERK1/2 upon TCR co-stimulation or PKC agonist challenge. Combined inhibition of the PI3K-AKT-mTORC1/2 pathway alongside the ERK1/2 activator MEK prior to TCR co-stimulation abrogated active P-TEFb expression and strongly suppressed latent HIV reactivation. Therefore, contrary to prevailing models, the coordinate reactivation of P-TEFb and latent HIV in primary T cells in response to either TCR co-stimulation or PKC agonist challenge is largely independent of PKC activity but rather primarily involves two complementary signaling arms of the TCR cascade namely RasGRP1-Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK1/2 and PI3K-AKT-mTORC1/2.

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New BRD4-inhibitor quinoline compound targets a distinct latent HIV-1 reservoir for re-activation from canonical “shock” drugs

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