PUBLICATION

Non-Toxic Chemical Interdiction of the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition by Targeting Cap-dependent Translation

Authors
Ghosh, B., Benyumov, A.O., Ghosh, P., Jia, Y., Avdulov, S., Dahlberg, P.S., Peterson, M., Smith, K., Polunovsky, V.A., Bitterman, P.B., and Wagner, C.R.
ID
ZDB-PUB-090413-4
Date
2009
Source
ACS Chemical Biology   4(5): 367-377 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Benyumov, Alexey O.
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Amides/chemical synthesis
  • Amides/chemistry
  • Amides/pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Drug Delivery Systems*
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/embryology
  • Epithelium/embryology*
  • Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-4E/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Humans
  • Inhibitory Concentration 50
  • Mesoderm/embryology*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Neoplasms/metabolism
  • Nuclear Cap-Binding Protein Complex/antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Nuclear Cap-Binding Protein Complex/metabolism*
  • Phosphoric Acids/chemical synthesis
  • Phosphoric Acids/chemistry
  • Phosphoric Acids/pharmacology
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
PubMed
19351181 Full text @ ACS Chem. Biol.
Abstract
Normal growth and development depends upon high fidelity regulation of cap-dependent translation initiation; a process that is usurped and redirected in cancer to mediate acquisition of malignant properties. The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key translationally-regulated step in the development of epithelial cancers as well as pathological tissue fibrosis (1-5). To date, no compounds targeting EMT have been developed. Here we report the synthesis of a novel class of Histidine Triad Nucleotide Binding Protein (HINT)-dependent pronucleotides that interdict EMT by negatively regulating the association of eIF4E with the mRNA cap. Compound eIF4E inhibitor-1 (4Ei-1) potently inhibited cap-dependent translation in a dose-dependent manner in zebrafish embryos without causing developmental abnormalities; and prevented eIF4E from triggering EMT in zebrafish ectoderm explants without toxicity. Metabolism studies with whole cell lysates demonstrated that the prodrug was rapidly converted into 7-Bn-GMP. Thus we have successfully developed the first non-toxic small molecule able to inhibit EMT, a key process in the development of epithelial cancer and tissue fibrosis by targeting the interaction of eIF4E with the mRNA cap; and demonstrate the tractability of zebrafish as a model organism for studying agents that modulate EMT. Our work provides strong motivation for the continued development of compounds designed to normalize cap-dependent translation as novel chemo-preventive agents and therapeutics for cancer and fibrosis.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping