Project description:Rocaglates are a diverse family of biologically active molecules that have gained tremendous interest in recent years due to their promising activities in pre-clinical cancer studies. As a result, this family of compounds has been significantly expanded through the development of efficient synthetic schemes. However, it is unknown whether all members of the rocaglate family act through similar mechanisms of action. Here, we present a comprehensive study comparing the biological activities of >200 rocaglates to better understand how the presence of different chemical entities influence their biological activities. Through this, we find that most rocaglates preferentially repress translation of mRNAs containing purine rich 5’ leaders but intriguingly, certain rocaglates lack this bias in translation repression. We also uncover a novel aspect of rocaglate mechanism of action in which the pool of translationally active eIF4F is diminished due to sequestration of the complex onto RNA.
Project description:Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a lethal malignancy with limited treatment options. Although metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of many cancers, including PDA, previous attempts to target metabolic changes therapeutically have been stymied by drug toxicity and tumour cell plasticity. Here, we show that PDA cells engage an eIF4F-dependent translation program that supports redox and central carbon metabolism. Inhibition of the eIF4F subunit, eIF4A, using the synthetic rocaglate CR-1-31-B (CR-31) reduced the viability of PDA organoids relative to their normal counterparts. In vivo, CR-31 suppresses tumour growth and extends survival of genetically-engineered murine models of PDA. Surprisingly, inhibition of eIF4A also induces glutamine reductive carboxylation. As a consequence, combined targeting of eIF4A and glutaminase activity more effectively inhibits PDA cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. Overall, our work demonstrates the importance of eIF4A in translational control of pancreatic tumour metabolism and as a therapeutic target against PDA.
Project description:Rocaglamide A (RocA) typifies a class of protein synthesis inhibitors that selectively kill aneuploid tumor cells and repress translation of specific mRNAs. RocA targets eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A), an ATP-dependent DEAD-box RNA helicase; its mRNA selectivity is proposed to reflect highly structured 5â² UTRs that depend strongly on eIF4A-mediated unwinding. However, rocaglate treatment may not phenocopy the loss of eIF4A activity, as these drugs actually increase the affinity between eIF4A and RNA. Here, we show that secondary structure in 5â² UTRs is only a minor determinant for RocA selectivity and RocA does not repress translation by reducing eIF4A availability. Rather, in vitro and in cells, RocA specifically clamps eIF4A onto polypurine sequences in an ATP-independent manner. This artificially clamped eIF4A blocks 43S scanning, leading to premature, upstream translation initiation and reducing protein expression from transcripts bearing the RocA-eIF4A target sequence. In elucidating the mechanism of selective translation repression by this lead anti-cancer compound, we provide an example of a drug stabilizing sequence-selective RNA-protein interactions. Bind-n-Seq and iCLIP-Seq
Project description:The translational control of oncoprotein expression is implicated in many cancers. Here we report an eIF4A/DDX2 RNA helicase-dependent mechanism of translational control that contributes to oncogenesis and underlies the anticancer effects of Silvestrol and related compounds. For example, eIF4A promotes T-ALL development in vivo and is required for leukaemia maintenance. Accordingly, inhibition of eIF4A with Silvestrol has powerful therapeutic effects in vitro and in vivo. We use transcriptome-scale ribosome footprinting to identify the hallmarks of eIF4A-dependent transcripts. These include 5'UTR sequences such as the 12-mer guanine quartet (CGG)4 motif that can form RNA G-quadruplex structures. Notably, among the most eIF4A-dependent and Silvestrol-sensitive transcripts are a number of oncogenes, super-enhancer associated transcription factors, and epigenetic regulators. Hence, the 5'UTRs of selected cancer genes harbour a targetable requirement for the eIF4A RNA helicase. Comparison of ribosome-protected RNA for drug treated and DMSO treated KOPT-K1 cell, two replicates of ribosome-protected RNA sequencing and three replicates of RNA-seq.
Project description:Ribosome profiling of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with Silvestrol to monitor transcriptome wide, eIF4A-dependent changes in translation efficiency Translation efficiency (TE) of mRNAs dervied from ribosome footprints was monitored in the presence or absence of 25 nM Silvestrol, an inhibitor of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A (eIF4A). Transcripts with reduced TE in the presence of Silvestrol were compare to transcripts with reduced TE in the presence of INK128, a catalytic mTOR inhbitor.
Project description:The translational control of oncoprotein expression is implicated in many cancers. Here we report an eIF4A/DDX2 RNA helicase-dependent mechanism of translational control that contributes to oncogenesis and underlies the anticancer effects of Silvestrol and related compounds. For example, eIF4A promotes T-ALL development in vivo and is required for leukaemia maintenance. Accordingly, inhibition of eIF4A with Silvestrol has powerful therapeutic effects in vitro and in vivo. We use transcriptome-scale ribosome footprinting to identify the hallmarks of eIF4A-dependent transcripts. These include 5'UTR sequences such as the 12-mer guanine quartet (CGG)4 motif that can form RNA G-quadruplex structures. Notably, among the most eIF4A-dependent and Silvestrol-sensitive transcripts are a number of oncogenes, super-enhancer associated transcription factors, and epigenetic regulators. Hence, the 5'UTRs of selected cancer genes harbour a targetable requirement for the eIF4A RNA helicase.