Immunomodulatory drugs reorganize cytoskeleton by modulating Rho GTPases

IMiDs immunomodulatory drugs, including lenalidomide and pomalidomide represent a novel class of small molecule anticancer and anti-inflammatory drugs with broad biologic activities. However, the molecular mechanism through which these drugs exert their effects is largely undefined. Using pomalidomide and primary human monocytes, we report that pomalidomide rapidly and selectively activated RhoA and Rac1, but not Cdc42 or Ras, in the absence of any costimulation. Consistent with the activation of Rho GTPases, we found that pomalidomide enhanced F-actin formation, stabilized microtubules, and increased cell migration, all of which were blocked by selective inhibitors of ROCK1 and Rac1. Further, we showed that in Swiss 3T3 cells, pomalidomide only activated RhoA, not Rac1 or Cdc42, and potently induced stress fiber formation. The pomalidomide effect on actin cytoskeleton was blocked by the ROCK1 inhibitor, but not Rac1 inhibitor. Finally, we demonstrated that pomalidomide was able to regulate the activity of Rho GTPases and the formation of F-actin in primary human T cells as it did in monocytes and showed that the activation of RhoA was essential for pomalidomide-induced interleukin-2 expression in T cells. These novel activities provide what we believe a critical mechanism by which IMiDs drugs function as therapeutic immunomodulatory agents.