Gene expression-based discovery of atovaquone as a STAT3 inhibitor and anticancer agent.
Blood
; 128(14): 1845-1853, 2016 10 06.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27531676
ABSTRACT
The oncogenic transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is frequently activated inappropriately in a wide range of hematological and solid cancers, but clinically available therapies targeting STAT3 are lacking. Using a computational strategy to identify compounds opposing the gene expression signature of STAT3, we discovered atovaquone (Mepron), an antimicrobial approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, to be a potent STAT3 inhibitor. We show that, at drug concentrations routinely achieved clinically in human plasma, atovaquone inhibits STAT3 phosphorylation, the expression of STAT3 target genes, and the viability of STAT3-dependent hematological cancer cells. These effects were also observed with atovaquone treatment of primary blasts isolated from patients with acute myelogenous leukemia or acute lymphocytic leukemia. Atovaquone is not a kinase inhibitor but instead rapidly and specifically downregulates cell-surface expression of glycoprotein 130, which is required for STAT3 activation in multiple contexts. The administration of oral atovaquone to mice inhibited tumor growth and prolonged survival in a murine model of multiple myeloma. Finally, in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, extended use of atovaquone for Pneumocystis prophylaxis was associated with improved relapse-free survival. These findings establish atovaquone as a novel, clinically accessible STAT3 inhibitor with evidence of anticancer efficacy in both animal models and humans.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica
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Fator de Transcrição STAT3
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Atovaquona
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Descoberta de Drogas
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Antineoplásicos
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
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Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Blood
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article