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Assessing Cellular Target Engagement by SHP2 (PTPN11) Phosphatase Inhibitors
Published on: July 17, 2020
Functional characterization of an isoform-selective inhibitor of PI3K-p110β as a potential anticancer agent
Jing Ni1, Qingsong Liu, Shaozhen Xie
1Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Unlabelled:
Genetic approaches have shown that the p110β isoform of class Ia phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) is essential for the growth of PTEN-null tumors. Thus, it is desirable to develop p110β-specific inhibitors for cancer therapy. Using a panel of PI3K isoform-specific cellular assays, we screened a collection of compounds possessing activities against kinases in the PI3K superfamily and identified a potent and selective p110β inhibitor: KIN-193. We show that KIN-193 is efficacious specifically in blocking AKT signaling and tumor growth that are dependent on p110β activation or PTEN loss. Broad profiling across a panel of 422 human tumor cell lines shows that the PTEN mutation status of cancer cells strongly correlates with their response to KIN-193. Together, our data provide the first pharmacologic evidence that PTEN-deficient tumors are dependent on p110β in animals and suggest that KIN-193 can be pursued as a drug to treat tumors that are dependent on p110β while sparing other PI3K isoforms.
Significance:
We report the first functional characterization of a p110β-selective inhibitor, KIN-193, that is efficacious as an antitumor agent in mice. We show that this class of inhibitor holds great promise as a pharmacologic agent that could be used to address the potential therapeutic benefit of treating p110β-dependent PTEN-deficient human tumors.
Insights
Researchers identified KIN-193, a selective inhibitor targeting p110β (phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase beta). This drug effectively blocks tumor growth in PTEN-deficient cancers, offering a promising new cancer therapy strategy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Class Ia phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) p110β isoform is crucial for PTEN-null tumor growth.
- Development of p110β-specific inhibitors is a key goal for cancer therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize a selective p110β inhibitor for potential cancer treatment.
- To evaluate the efficacy of p110β inhibition in PTEN-deficient tumors.
Main Methods:
- Screening of PI3K superfamily kinase inhibitors using PI3K isoform-specific cellular assays.
- Profiling KIN-193 across 422 human tumor cell lines to assess PTEN mutation status correlation.
- Evaluating KIN-193's antitumor efficacy in mouse models.
Main Results:
- KIN-193 identified as a potent and selective p110β inhibitor.
- KIN-193 effectively blocks AKT signaling and tumor growth dependent on p110β or PTEN loss.
- PTEN mutation status strongly correlates with tumor cell response to KIN-193.
Conclusions:
- KIN-193 is the first functionally characterized p110β-selective inhibitor with demonstrated antitumor efficacy in mice.
- p110β-selective inhibitors, like KIN-193, show significant promise for treating p110β-dependent PTEN-deficient human tumors.
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