Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2023 Oct 2;22(10):1166-1181. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-23-0196.
Prostate cancers adapt to androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibitors and progress to castration resistance due to ongoing AR expression and function. To counter this, we developed a new approach to modulate the AR and inhibit castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) using multivalent peptoid conjugates (MPC) that contain multiple copies of the AR-targeting ligand ethisterone attached to a peptidomimetic scaffold. Here, we investigated the antitumor effects of compound MPC309, a trivalent display of ethisterone conjugated to a peptoid oligomer backbone that binds to the AR with nanomolar affinity. MPC309 exhibited potent antiproliferative effects on various enzalutamide-resistant prostate cancer models, including those with AR splice variants, ligand-binding mutations, and noncanonical AR gene expression programs, as well as mouse prostate organoids harboring defined genetic alterations that mimic lethal human prostate cancer subtypes. MPC309 is taken up by cells through macropinocytosis, an endocytic process more prevalent in cancer cells than in normal ones, thus providing an opportunity to target tumors selectively. MPC309 triggers a distinct AR transcriptome compared with DHT and enzalutamide, a clinically used antiandrogen. Specifically, MPC309 enhances the expression of differentiation genes while reducing the expression of genes needed for cell division and metabolism. Mechanistically, MPC309 increases AR chromatin occupancy and alters AR interactions with coregulatory proteins in a pattern distinct from DHT. In xenograft studies, MPC309 produced significantly greater tumor suppression than enzalutamide. Altogether, MPC309 represents a promising new AR modulator that can combat resistant disease by promoting an AR antiproliferative gene expression program.
前列腺癌通过持续表达和功能的雄激素受体 (AR) 通路抑制剂而适应,并进展为去势抵抗。为了对抗这一点,我们开发了一种新方法,使用包含多个 AR 靶向配体乙基甾酮的多价肽类似物 (MPC) 来调节 AR 并抑制去势抵抗性前列腺癌 (CRPC),这些 MPC 连接到肽模拟支架上。在这里,我们研究了化合物 MPC309 的抗肿瘤作用,MPC309 是一种三价展示,将乙基甾酮连接到与 AR 具有纳摩尔亲和力的肽类似物寡聚物骨架上。MPC309 对各种恩扎卢胺耐药的前列腺癌模型表现出强大的抗增殖作用,包括具有 AR 剪接变体、配体结合突变和非典型 AR 基因表达程序的模型,以及携带模拟致命人类前列腺癌亚型的明确遗传改变的小鼠前列腺类器官。MPC309 通过细胞的巨胞饮作用被细胞摄取,巨胞饮作用是一种比正常细胞更常见的内吞过程,因此为选择性靶向肿瘤提供了机会。MPC309 与 DHT 和临床上使用的抗雄激素恩扎卢胺相比,触发了独特的 AR 转录组。具体而言,MPC309 增强了分化基因的表达,同时降低了细胞分裂和代谢所需基因的表达。在机制上,MPC309 增加了 AR 染色质占有率,并改变了 AR 与核心调节蛋白的相互作用模式,与 DHT 不同。在异种移植研究中,MPC309 产生的肿瘤抑制作用明显大于恩扎卢胺。总之,MPC309 代表了一种有前途的新型 AR 调节剂,通过促进 AR 抗增殖基因表达程序来对抗耐药疾病。