MLN4924, A Novel First in Class Small Molecule Inhibitor of the Nedd8 Activating Enzyme (NAE), Has Potent Activity in Preclinical Models of Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Abstract 1021

Poster Board I-43

The coordinated balance between the synthesis and degradation of proteins is an important regulator of cancer cell biology. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is responsible for the timed destruction of many proteins including key mediators of fundamental signaling cascades and critical regulators of cell cycle progression and transcription. Within the UPS, the E3 ligases are multi-protein complexes whose specificity is established by their individual components as well as post-translational modifications by various factors including the ubiquitin-like molecule, Nedd8. The Nedd8 activating enzyme (NAE) has been identified as an essential regulator of the Nedd8 conjugation pathway, which controls the activity of the cullin-dependent E3 ubiquitin ligases. The cullins direct the ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of many proteins with important roles in cell cycle progression (p27, cyclin E), DNA damage (Cdt-1), stress response (NRF-2, HIF1α) and signal transduction (IκBα). Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a disease of the elderly and prognosis is extremely poor with a median overall survival of just 2 months for untreated patients. As such, novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to improve clinical outcomes. Considering that Nedd8-mediated control of protein homeostasis is vitally important for the survival of AML cells, we hypothesized that disrupting this process would inhibit proliferation and induce cell death. We tested this hypothesis by investigating the preclinical anti-leukemic activity of MLN4924, a novel first in class small molecule inhibitor of the Nedd8 activating enzyme. MLN4924 induced DNA damage followed by rapid and selective caspase-dependent cell death in AML cell lines and primary AML cells from patients, but not in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors. Transient exposure to MLN4924 impaired colony formation in a dose-dependent manner. Kinetic analysis of drug-induced effects on cell cycle distribution revealed that AML cells treated with MLN4924 initially arrested at the G1 transition prior to their subsequent accumulation in the sub-G1 compartment. Assays conducted using MV-411 cells with and without stable shRNA-mediated knockdown of FLT3 expression demonstrated that MLN4924 is highly effective independent of FLT3 status. Further investigation revealed that the activity of MLN4924 was preserved when cells were co-cultured with bone marrow stromal cells indicating that it has the ability to overcome the effects of stromal-mediated survival signaling that has been established to blunt the efficacy of relevant standard of care agents. MLN4924 induced a dose and time dependant increase in the expression of phospo-IκB, an important target for degradation through the Nedd8 conjugation pathway. The inhibitory effects of MLN4924 on NFκB were confirmed by demonstrating that the transcriptional activity of the NFκB p65 subunit was significantly reduced following drug exposure. Moreover, treatment of immunodeficient mice implanted with HL-60 human leukemia cells with MLN4924 led to an inhibition of neddylated cullins, accumulation of phospho-IκBα and achieved complete and stable disease regression. Our results indicate that MLN4924 is a highly promising novel agent for the treatment of AML and warrants further evaluation in clinical trials.