Targeting RACGAP1 suppresses growth hormone pituitary adenoma growth

Growth hormone pituitary adenoma (GHPA) is a major subtype of pituitary adenoma (PA), with tumor enlargement and abnormal secretion of growth hormone (GH) often causing complications. Rac GTPase-activating protein 1 (RACGAP1), a member of the guanine triphosphatase-activating protein family, is highly overexpressed in multiple tumors and promotes tumor growth. However, the role of RACGAP1 in GHPA remains unelucidated. Besides, specific inhibitors targeting RACGAP1 have not yet been developed. In this study, we aimed to determine the expression and function of RACGAP1 in GHPA and identify effective inhibitors against RACGAP1.

Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of RACGAP1 in GHPA and normal pituitary tissues. The effect of RACGAP1 on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle was evaluated by knockdown of RACGAP1 in GH3 cells in vitro and xenograft models of GHPA in vivo. The downstream mechanism of RACGAP1 was explored by RNA sequencing, bioinformatic analysis, and Western blot. Inhibitors targeting RACGAP1 were screened and verified through a structure-based virtual docking method, cell viability assays, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments.

RACGAP1 expression was increased in GHPA compared with normal pituitary tissues. Knocking down RACGAP1 suppressed cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Preliminary mechanism studies indicated that inhibition of RACGAP1 led to the upregulation of p21 and the downregulation of several genes involved in the cell cycle signaling pathway, such as Cyclin A, CDK1, and CDK2. Moreover, DB07268 was identified for the first time as an effective RACGAP1 inhibitor that could prominently restrain the proliferation of GH3 cells.

This study demonstrates that RACGAP1 plays a critical role in GHPA, highlighting the novel inhibitor DB07268 as a promising therapeutic approach.