RESUMEN
Hedgehog (Hh) inhibitors have emerged as valid tools in the treatment of a wide range of cancers. Indeed, aberrant activation of the Hh pathway occurring either by ligand-dependent or -independent mechanisms is a key driver in tumorigenesis. The smoothened (Smo) receptor is one of the main upstream transducers of the Hh signaling and is a validated target for the development of anticancer compounds, as underlined by the FDA-approved Smo antagonist Vismodegib (GDC-0449/Erivedge) for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma. However, Smo mutations that confer constitutive activity and drug resistance have emerged during treatment with Vismodegib. For this reason, the development of new effective Hh inhibitors represents a major challenge for cancer therapy. Natural products have always represented a unique source of lead structures in drug discovery, and in recent years have been used to modulate the Hh pathway at multiple levels. Here, starting from an in house library of natural compounds and their derivatives, we discovered novel chemotypes of Hh inhibitors by mean of virtual screening against the crystallographic structure of Smo. Hh functional based assay identified the chalcone derivative 12 as the most effective Hh inhibitor within the test set. The chalcone 12 binds the Smo receptor and promotes the displacement of Bodipy-Cyclopamine in both Smo WT and drug-resistant Smo mutant. Our molecule stands as a promising Smo antagonist able to specifically impair the growth of Hh-dependent tumor cells in vitro and in vivo and medulloblastoma stem-like cells and potentially overcome the associated drug resistance.
Asunto(s)
Chalconas/farmacología , Proteínas Hedgehog/metabolismo , Neoplasias/metabolismo , Células Madre Neoplásicas/metabolismo , Animales , Línea Celular Tumoral , Proliferación Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Chalconas/química , Evaluación Preclínica de Medicamentos , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Ratones , Células 3T3 NIH , Neoplasias/patología , Células Madre Neoplásicas/efectos de los fármacos , Transducción de Señal/efectos de los fármacos , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequeñas/química , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequeñas/farmacología , Receptor Smoothened/antagonistas & inhibidores , Receptor Smoothened/metabolismoRESUMEN
PCAF (p300/CBP associated factor) harbors acetyltransferase and a recently identified ubiquitylation activity that regulates gene expression in response to genotoxic stress or mitogenic signals. We highlight the dual role of PCAF in the control of Hedgehog signaling, a master regulator of tissue development, stemness, and tumorigenesis. By promoting histone acetylation at Hedgehog/GLI1 target gene promoters or direct ubiquitylation and proteolysis of GLI1, the PCAF/GLI1 axis stands as a promising therapeutic target for Hedgehog-dependent tumors.