Project description:Human HCC cell line, MHCC-97L, was subcutaneously injected to BALB/c nude mice. Two weeks post injection, mice were randomised to receive vehicle or PIM447 (60mg/kg) by oral gavage three times a week for two weeks. Total RNA was extracted from the tumor xenograft (Vehicle, n=2; PIM447, n=2) and subjected to RNA sequencing. Expression profiling of the tumors between vehicle control and PIM447 treated groups was compared.
Project description:PIM kinases have important pro-tumorigenic roles and mediate several oncogenic traits, including cell proliferation, survival, and chemotherapeutic resistance. As a result, multiple PIM inhibitors have been pursued as investigational new drugs in cancer; however, response to PIM inhibitors in solid tumors has fallen short of expectations. We found that inhibition of PIM kinase activity stabilizes protein levels of all three PIM isoforms (PIM1/2/3), and this can promote resistance to PIM inhibitors and chemotherapy. To overcome this effect, we designed PIM proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) to target PIM for degradation. PIM PROTACs effectively downmodulated PIM levels through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Importantly, degradation of PIM kinases was more potent than inhibition of catalytic activity in inducing apoptosis in prostate cancer cell line models. In conclusion, we provide evidence of the advantages of degrading PIM kinases versus inhibiting their catalytic activity to target the oncogenic functions of PIM kinases.
Project description:Gene expression profiling of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)-derived cell lines exposed to the pan-PIM inhibitor MEN1703 was performed to investigate transcriptional consequences of PIM kinase inhibition in DLBCL and to identify treatment-related changes in the signalling pathways.
Project description:The PI3K pathway is a major driver of cancer progression. However, clinical resistance to PI3K inhibition is common. IBL-302 is a novel highly specific triple PIM, PI3K and mTOR inhibitor. Screening IBL-302 in over 700 cell lines representing 47 tumor types identified neuroblastoma as a strong candidate for PIM/PI3K/mTOR inhibition. IBL-302 was more effective than single PI3K inhibition in vitro and IBL-302 treatment of neuroblastoma patient-derived xenograft (PDX) cells induced apoptosis, differentiated tumor cells, and decreased N-Myc protein levels. IBL-302 further enhanced the effect of the common cytotoxic chemotherapies cisplatin, doxorubicin, and etoposide. Global genome, proteome and phospho-proteome analyses identified crucial biological processes, including cell motility and apoptosis, targeted by IBL-302 treatment. While IBL-302 treatment alone reduced tumor growth in vivo, combination therapy with low-dose cisplatin inhibited neuroblastoma PDX growth. Complementing conventional chemotherapy treatment with PIM/PI3K/mTOR inhibition has the potential to improve clinical outcomes and reduce severe late effects in children with high-risk neuroblastoma.
Project description:The overexpression of PIM kinases in hematologic malignancies, including multiple myeloma, make PIM inhibitors an attractive therapeutic strategy for these diseases. Recent preclinical data from our group demonstrated the anti-myeloma effect of the pan-PIM kinase inhibitor PIM447, along with its synergistic effect with standard of care anti-myeloma agents. Based on those previous data, we have evaluated here the in vitro and in vivo activity of the triple combination of PIM447 + pomalidomide + dexamethasone (PIM-Pd). Our results show that this combination exerts a potent anti-myeloma effect in vitro, even in presence of microenvironment cells, and, in vivo, it markedly delays tumor growth and prolongs survival. Mechanism of action studies suggest that the combination PIM-Pd inhibits protein translation processes through the convergent inhibition of mTORC1, which disrupts the function eIF4E, and c-Myc. As a consequence, cell cycle arrest and disruption of metabolic pathways, including glycolysis and lipid biosynthesis, is induced, inhibiting myeloma cell proliferation. Altogether, these data support the potential future clinical development of the triple combination PIM-Pd for the treatment of patients with MM.
Project description:Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the breast cancer (BC) subtype with the poorest outcome. The PIM family of kinases has recently emerged as a factor that is both overexpressed in TNBC samples and associated with poor outcomes. Preclinical data suggest that TNBC that exhibits an elevated MYC oncoprotein expression (MYC+TNBC), accounting for 50% of TNBC cases, is sensitive to PIM inhibition. However, ongoing clinical observations indicate that the efficacy of PIM inhibitors as single agents may be limited in solid tumors, suggesting the need for combination therapies. We conducted drug combination screens to identify a combination that targets PIM and the 20S proteasome (the PIMi/20Si combination) as the most synergistic combination. Following the screening, we used a chemical genetic approach to reveal that the mechanisms of drug synergy involve disruption of protein homeostasis and obstruction of an adaptive resistance mechanism associated with proteasome inhibition. Thus, the PIMi/20Si combination could represent a rational combination therapy against MYC+ TNBC that is readily translatable to early-stage clinical investigations.
Project description:siRNA-mediated inhibition compared to untreated cells and cells transfected with nonsense siRNA Together with far upstream element binding protein (FBP), the FBP-interacting repressor (FIR) represents a molecular tool for the transcriptional fine tune regulation of target genes. Previous evidence indicates that strong overexpression of FBP in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) supports tumor growth and correlates with poor patient prognosis. However, the role of the transcriptional repressor FIR in hepatocarcinogenesis remains poorly delineated. We show that overexpression of FIR correlates with tumor dedifferentiation and tumor cell proliferation in about 60% of primary HCCs. Elevated FIR levels are associated with genomic gains of the fir gene locus at chromosome 8q24.3 in human HCC specimens. In vitro, nuclear enrichment of FIR supports HCC cell proliferation and migration. Expression profiling of HCC cells after siRNA-mediated silencing of FIR identified the transcription factor DP-1 (TFDP1) as a transcriptional target of FIR. Surprisingly, FIR stimulates the expression of FBP in a TFDP1/E2F-dependent manner. FIR splice variants lacking or containing exon 2 and/or exon 5 are expressed in the majority of HCCs. Specific inhibition of FIR isoforms with and without exon 2 revealed that all FIR splice variants facilitate tumor-supporting effects. This finding was confirmed in xenograft transplantation experiments with lentiviral-infected shRNA targeting all FIR variants as well as FIR with and without exon 2. In summary, high-level nuclear FIR does not facilitate repressor properties but supports tumor growth in HCC cells. Thus, the pharmacological inhibition of FIR might represent a promising therapeutic strategy for HCC patients. Expression profiling of cells transfected with scrambled/nonsense siRNA (control), and after siRNA-mediated FIR inhibition.
Project description:T cell antigen-receptor (TCR) and cytokine receptor engagement trigger large changes in Serine/Threonine kinase signalling networks to drive T cell activation and differentiation. The role of only few kinase signalling pathways have been studied in detail, and in this context, Pim kinases are an interesting, yet understudied, family of Serine/Threonine kinases, with reported roles in key processes including survival, proliferation, metabolism across a range of cell types. T lymphocytes predominantly express PIM1 and PIM2, which are rapidly induced by TCR, costimulation and cytokine signalling. Using single shot DDA mass spectrometry we examine the impact of 24 hours treatment with two different pan-Pim kinase inhibitors PIM447 and AZD1208 on in vitro IL2 differentiated effector cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The Jak1/3 inhibitor tofacitinib was included as a control as this also blocks production of Pim kinases downstream of IL2. We find that treatment with pan-Pim kinase inhibitors has a similar phenotype to Pim1/Pim2 double deficiency, showing a reduction in proteins that are key for effector cell function: glucose transporters SLC2A1 and SLC2A3 and key effector molecule Granzyme B and an increase in the translational repressor PDCD4.