Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
Research Center, LegoChem BioSciences, INC., Daejeon, 34302, South Korea.
Nat Commun. 2020 Nov 11;11(1):5704. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19555-6.
Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) is characterized by prominent skeletal manifestations caused by NF1 loss. While inhibitors of the ERK activating kinases MEK1/2 are promising as a means to treat NF1, the broad blockade of the ERK pathway produced by this strategy is potentially associated with therapy limiting toxicities. Here, we have sought targets offering a more narrow inhibition of ERK activation downstream of NF1 loss in the skeleton, finding that MEKK2 is a novel component of a noncanonical ERK pathway in osteoblasts that mediates aberrant ERK activation after NF1 loss. Accordingly, despite mice with conditional deletion of Nf1 in mature osteoblasts (Nf1;Dmp1-Cre) and Mekk2 each displaying skeletal defects, Nf1;Mekk2;Dmp1-Cre mice show an amelioration of NF1-associated phenotypes. We also provide proof-of-principle that FDA-approved inhibitors with activity against MEKK2 can ameliorate NF1 skeletal pathology. Thus, MEKK2 functions as a MAP3K in the ERK pathway in osteoblasts, offering a potential new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of NF1.
神经纤维瘤病 1 型(NF1)的特征是 NF1 缺失引起的明显骨骼表现。虽然 ERK 激活激酶 MEK1/2 的抑制剂作为治疗 NF1 的一种手段很有前景,但这种策略广泛阻断 ERK 通路可能与治疗相关的毒性有关。在这里,我们寻找了在骨骼中 NF1 缺失下游提供更窄的 ERK 激活抑制的靶点,发现 MEKK2 是成骨细胞中非经典 ERK 通路的一个新成分,它介导 NF1 缺失后异常的 ERK 激活。因此,尽管在成熟成骨细胞中条件性缺失 Nf1 的小鼠(Nf1;Dmp1-Cre)和 Mekk2 都表现出骨骼缺陷,但 Nf1;Mekk2;Dmp1-Cre 小鼠显示出 NF1 相关表型的改善。我们还提供了原理验证,即针对 MEKK2 具有活性的 FDA 批准的抑制剂可以改善 NF1 骨骼病理学。因此,MEKK2 在成骨细胞中的 ERK 通路中作为 MAP3K 发挥作用,为治疗 NF1 提供了一种潜在的新治疗策略。
Nat Commun. 2020-11-11
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