Compound NSC84167 selectively targets NRF2-activated pancreatic cancer by inhibiting asparagine synthesis pathway

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is aberrantly activated in about 93% of pancreatic cancers. Activated NRF2 regulates multiple downstream molecules involved in cancer cell metabolic reprogramming, translational control, and treatment resistance; however, targeting NRF2 for pancreatic cancer therapy remains largely unexplored. In this study, we used the online computational tool CellMiner^TM to explore the NCI-60 drug databases for compounds with anticancer activities correlating most closely with the mRNA expression of NQO1, a marker for NRF2 pathway activity. Among the >100,000 compounds analyzed, NSC84167, termed herein as NRF2 synthetic lethality compound-01 (NSLC01), was one of the top hits (r = 0.71, P < 0.001) and selected for functional characterization. NSLC01 selectively inhibited the viabilities of four out of seven conventional pancreatic cancer cell lines and induced dramatic apoptosis in the cells with high NRF2 activation. The selective anticancer activity of NSLC01 was further validated with a panel of nine low-passage pancreatic patient-derived cell lines, and a significant reverse correlation between log(IC₅₀) of NSLC01 and NQO1 expression was confirmed (r = -0.5563, P = 0.024). Notably, screening of a panel of nine patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) revealed six PDXs with high NQO1/NRF2 activation, and NSLC01 dramatically inhibited the viabilities and induced apoptosis in ex vivo cultures of PDX tumors. Consistent with the ex vivo results, NSLC01 inhibited the tumor growth of two NRF2-activated PDX models in vivo (P < 0.01, n = 7-8) but had no effects on the NRF2-low counterpart. To characterize the mechanism of action, we employed a metabolomic isotope tracer assay that demonstrated that NSLC01-mediated inhibition of de novo synthesis of multiple amino acids, including asparagine and methionine. Importantly, we further found that NSLC01 suppresses the eEF2K/eEF2 translation elongation cascade and protein translation of asparagine synthetase. In summary, this study identified a novel compound that selectively targets protein translation and induces synthetic lethal effects in NRF2-activated pancreatic cancers.