Resistance mechanisms for the Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib.

BACKGROUND: Ibrutinib is an irreversible inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) and is effective in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Resistance to irreversible kinase inhibitors and resistance associated with BTK inhibition have not been characterized. Although only a small proportion of patients have had a relapse during ibrutinib therapy, an understanding of resistance mechanisms is important. We evaluated patients with relapsed disease to identify mutations that may mediate ibrutinib resistance. METHODS: We performed whole-exome sequencing at baseline and the time of relapse on samples from six patients with acquired resistance to ibrutinib therapy. We then performed functional analysis of identified mutations. In addition, we performed Ion Torrent sequencing for identified resistance mutations on samples from nine patients with prolonged lymphocytosis. RESULTS: We identified a cysteine-to-serine mutation in BTK at the binding site of ibrutinib in five patients and identified three distinct mutations in PLCγ2 in two patients. Functional analysis showed that the C481S mutation of BTK results in a protein that is only reversibly inhibited by ibrutinib. The R665W and L845F mutations in PLCγ2 are both potentially gain-of-function mutations that lead to autonomous B-cell-receptor activity. These mutations were not found in any of the patients with prolonged lymphocytosis who were taking ibrutinib. CONCLUSIONS: Resistance to the irreversible BTK inhibitor ibrutinib often involves mutation of a cysteine residue where ibrutinib binding occurs. This finding, combined with two additional mutations in PLCγ2 that are immediately downstream of BTK, underscores the importance of the B-cell-receptor pathway in the mechanism of action of ibrutinib in CLL. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute and others.).

Egress of CD19(+)CD5(+) cells into peripheral blood following treatment with the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib in mantle cell lymphoma patients.

Ibrutinib (PCI-32765) is a highly potent oral Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor in clinical development for treating B-cell lymphoproliferative diseases. Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) often show marked, transient increases of circulating CLL cells following ibrutinib treatments, as seen with other inhibitors of the B-cell receptor (BCR) pathway. In a phase 1 study of ibrutinib, we noted similar effects in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Here, we characterize the patterns and phenotypes of cells mobilized among patients with MCL and further investigate the mechanism of this effect. Peripheral blood CD19(+)CD5(+) cells from MCL patients were found to have significant reduction in the expression of CXCR4, CD38, and Ki67 after 7 days of treatment. In addition, plasma chemokines such as CCL22, CCL4, and CXCL13 were reduced 40% to 60% after treatment. Mechanistically, ibrutinib inhibited BCR- and chemokine-mediated adhesion and chemotaxis of MCL cell lines and dose-dependently inhibited BCR, stromal cell, and CXCL12/CXCL13 stimulations of pBTK, pPLCγ2, pERK, or pAKT. Importantly, ibrutinib inhibited migration of MCL cells beneath stromal cells in coculture. We propose that BTK is essential for the homing of MCL cells into lymphoid tissues, and its inhibition results in an egress of malignant cells into peripheral blood. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00114738.

Discovery of a Series of Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable Nucleoside Inhibitors of CD73 That Demonstrates In Vivo Antitumor Activity.

CD73 (ecto-5'-nucleotidase) has emerged as an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy of many cancers. CD73 catalyzes the hydrolysis of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) into highly immunosuppressive adenosine that plays a critical role in tumor progression. Herein, we report our efforts in developing orally bioavailable and highly potent small-molecule CD73 inhibitors from the reported hit molecule 2 to lead molecule 20 and then finally to compound 49. Compound 49 was able to reverse AMP-mediated suppression of CD8+ T cells and completely inhibited CD73 activity in serum samples from various cancer patients. In preclinical in vivo studies, orally administered 49 showed a robust dose-dependent pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationship that correlated with efficacy. Compound 49 also demonstrated the expected immune-mediated antitumor mechanism of action and was efficacious upon oral administration not only as a single agent but also in combination with either chemotherapeutics or checkpoint inhibitor in the mouse tumor model.

The glutaminase inhibitor telaglenastat enhances the antitumor activity of signal transduction inhibitors everolimus and cabozantinib in models of renal cell carcinoma.

Dysregulated metabolism is a hallmark of cancer that manifests through alterations in bioenergetic and biosynthetic pathways to enable tumor cell proliferation and survival. Tumor cells exhibit high rates of glycolysis, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect, and an increase in glutamine consumption to support the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumors express high levels of glutaminase (GLS), the enzyme required for the first step in metabolic conversion of glutamine to glutamate and the entry of glutamine into the TCA cycle. We found that RCC cells are highly dependent on glutamine for proliferation, and this dependence strongly correlated with sensitivity to telaglenstat (CB-839), an investigational, first-in-class, selective, orally bioavailable GLS inhibitor. Metabolic profiling of RCC cell lines treated with telaglenastat revealed a decrease in glutamine consumption, which was concomitant with a decrease in the production of glutamate and other glutamine-derived metabolites, consistent with GLS inhibition. Treatment of RCC cells with signal transduction inhibitors everolimus (mTOR inhibitor) or cabozantinib (VEGFR/MET/AXL inhibitor) in combination with telaglenastat resulted in decreased consumption of both glucose and glutamine and synergistic anti-proliferative effects. Treatment of mice bearing Caki-1 RCC xenograft tumors with cabozantinib plus telaglenastat resulted in reduced tumor growth compared to either agent alone. Enhanced anti-tumor activity was also observed with the combination of everolimus plus telaglenastat. Collectively, our results demonstrate potent, synergistic, anti-tumor activity of telaglenastat plus signal transduction inhibitors cabozantinib or everolimus via a mechanism involving dual inhibition of glucose and glutamine consumption.

Inhibition of arginase by CB-1158 blocks myeloid cell-mediated immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment.

BACKGROUND: Myeloid cells are an abundant leukocyte in many types of tumors and contribute to immune evasion. Expression of the enzyme arginase 1 (Arg1) is a defining feature of immunosuppressive myeloid cells and leads to depletion of L-arginine, a nutrient required for T cell and natural killer (NK) cell proliferation. Here we use CB-1158, a potent and orally-bioavailable small-molecule inhibitor of arginase, to investigate the role of Arg1 in regulating anti-tumor immunity. METHODS: CB-1158 was tested for the ability to block myeloid cell-mediated inhibition of T cell proliferation in vitro, and for tumor growth inhibition in syngeneic mouse models of cancer as a single agent and in combination with other therapies. Tumors from animals treated with CB-1158 were profiled for changes in immune cell subsets, expression of immune-related genes, and cytokines. Human tumor tissue microarrays were probed for Arg1 expression by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Cancer patient plasma samples were assessed for Arg1 protein and L-arginine by ELISA and mass spectrometry, respectively. RESULTS: CB-1158 blocked myeloid cell-mediated suppression of T cell proliferation in vitro and reduced tumor growth in multiple mouse models of cancer, as a single agent and in combination with checkpoint blockade, adoptive T cell therapy, adoptive NK cell therapy, and the chemotherapy agent gemcitabine. Profiling of the tumor microenvironment revealed that CB-1158 increased tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells and NK cells, inflammatory cytokines, and expression of interferon-inducible genes. Patient tumor samples from multiple histologies expressed an abundance of tumor-infiltrating Arg1+ myeloid cells. Plasma samples from cancer patients exhibited elevated Arg1 and reduced L-arginine compared to healthy volunteers. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that Arg1 is a key mediator of immune suppression and that inhibiting Arg1 with CB-1158 shifts the immune landscape toward a pro-inflammatory environment, blunting myeloid cell-mediated immune evasion and reducing tumor growth. Furthermore, our results suggest that arginase blockade by CB-1158 may be an effective therapy in multiple types of cancer and combining CB-1158 with standard-of-care chemotherapy or other immunotherapies may yield improved clinical responses.

Regulation of nuclear import and export by the GTPase Ran.

This review focuses on the control of nuclear import and export pathways by the small GTPase Ran. Transport of signal-containing cargo substrates is mediated by receptors that bind to the cargo proteins and RNAs and deliver them to the appropriate cellular compartment. Ran is an evolutionarily conserved member of the Ras superfamily that regulates all receptor-mediated transport between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. We describe the identification and characterization of the RanGTPase and its binding partners: the guanine nucleotide exchange factor, RanGEF; the GTPase activating protein, RanGAP; the soluble import and export receptors; Ran-binding domain-(RBD) containing proteins; and NTF2 and related factors.

PCI-24781, a Novel Hydroxamic Acid HDAC Inhibitor, Exerts Cytotoxicity and Histone Alterations via Caspase-8 and FADD in Leukemia Cells.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have become a promising new avenue for cancer therapy, and many are currently in Phase I/II clinical trials for various tumor types. In the present study, we show that apoptosis induction and histone alterations by PCI-24781, a novel hydroxamic acid-based HDAC inhibitor, require caspase-8 and the adaptor molecule, Fas-associated death domain (FADD), in acute leukemia cells. PCI-24781 treatment also causes an increase in superoxide levels, which has been reported for other HDACi. However, an antioxidant does not reverse histone alterations caused by PCI-24781, indicating that ROS generation is likely downstream of the effects that PCI-24781 exerts on histone H3. Taken together, these results provide insight into the mechanism of apoptosis induction by PCI-24781 in leukemia by highlighting the roles of caspase-8, FADD and increased superoxide levels.