Chemically-induced degradation of the endoplasmic-reticulum stress sensor IRE1 by a VHL-recruiting chimera

The endoplasmic-reticulum (ER) transmembrane protein IRE1 mitigates ER stress through kinase-endoribonuclease and scaffolding activities. Cancer cells often co-opt IRE1 to facilitate growth. An IRE1-RNase inhibitor has entered clinical trials; however, recent work uncovered a significant nonenzymatic IRE1 dependency in cancer. To fully disrupt IRE1, we describe a proteolysis-targeting chimera (G6374) that couples an IRE1-kinase ligand to a compound that binds the ubiquitin Cullin-RING Ligase (CRL) substrate receptor, VHL. G6374 induces a stable, cooperative interaction between IRE1 and VHL, driving K48-linked ubiquitination on two principal lysine residues in the IRE1-kinase domain and inducing proteasomal IRE1 degradation. Cryogenic electron microscopy and mutagenesis studies reveal a 2:2 IRE1:VHL ternary-complex topology and critical interactional features, informing future designs. G6374 blocks growth of IRE1-dependent cancer cells irrespective of their dependency mode, while sparing IRE1-independent cells. We provide a proof-of-concept for VHL-based degradation of an ER-transmembrane protein, advancing strategies to fully disrupt IRE1.