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Direct inhibition of the NOTCH transcription factor complex

An Erratum to this article was published on 21 January 2010

Abstract

Direct inhibition of transcription factor complexes remains a central challenge in the discipline of ligand discovery. In general, these proteins lack surface involutions suitable for high-affinity binding by small molecules. Here we report the design of synthetic, cell-permeable, stabilized α-helical peptides that target a critical protein–protein interface in the NOTCH transactivation complex. We demonstrate that direct, high-affinity binding of the hydrocarbon-stapled peptide SAHM1 prevents assembly of the active transcriptional complex. Inappropriate NOTCH activation is directly implicated in the pathogenesis of several disease states, including T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL). The treatment of leukaemic cells with SAHM1 results in genome-wide suppression of NOTCH-activated genes. Direct antagonism of the NOTCH transcriptional program causes potent, NOTCH-specific anti-proliferative effects in cultured cells and in a mouse model of NOTCH1-driven T-ALL.

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Figure 1: Design of MAML1-derived stapled peptides targeting NOTCH1–CSL.
Figure 2: SAHM1 specifically engages the NOTCH1 transactivation complex.
Figure 3: SAHM1 represses NOTCH1 target gene expression.
Figure 4: SAHM1 reduces T-ALL proliferation and leukaemic initiation potential.
Figure 5: SAHM1 treatment inhibits NOTCH signalling and leukaemic progression in vivo.

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Accession codes

Primary accessions

Gene Expression Omnibus

Protein Data Bank

Data deposits

All microarray data has been deposited to the Gene Expression Omnibus at the National Center for Biotechnology Information under accession numbers GSE18198 and GSE18351.

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Acknowledgements

We thank S. Schreiber and the Broad Institute Chemical Biology Program for discussions and access to instrumentation; J. Rocnik for assistance in the establishment of the T-ALL murine model; A. Ferrando for providing GSI microarray data; M. Hancock and Invitrogen for providing β-lactamase HeLa reporter clones; K. Ross and A. Subramanian for conversations and guidance about GSEA; and S. Gupta and the Broad Institute Microarray Core. This work was supported by a Specialized Center of Research grant from the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Society (to J.E.B., J.C.A., S.C.B.), an AACR Centennial Pre-doctoral Research Fellowship in Cancer Research (to R.E.M.), the American Society of Hematology (to J.E.B.), MCCB-NIH Training Grant No. 5T32GM007598 (to R.E.M.), the Human Frontier Science Program (to C.D.), and the Harvard & Dana Farber Program in Cancer Chemical Biology (to J.E.B., R.E.M., G.L.V.). The project has been funded in part with Federal funds from the National Cancer Institute’s Initiative for Chemical Genetics, National Institutes of Health, under Contract No. N01-CO-12400. Histology and immunohistochemical staining was performed in the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Specialized Histopathology Services Core Laboratory.

Author Contributions R.E.M., G.L.V. and J.E.B. conceptualized the study, designed the experiments, interpreted data, and wrote the manuscript. Design, synthesis and biological characterization of SAHM peptides was performed by R.E.M. C.D.B., J.C.A. and S.C.B. contributed key reagents and analysed data. R.E.M., M.C., T.N.D., J.C.A., A.L.K., D.G.G. and J.E.B. established the bioluminescent T-ALL model, designed and performed in vivo experiments and analysed data.

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Correspondence to Gregory L. Verdine or James E. Bradner.

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[COMPETING INTERESTS: G.L.V. is a shareholder in and paid consultant of Aileron Therapeutics, which has been granted a license by Harvard University and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to develop the stapled peptide technology.]

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Moellering, R., Cornejo, M., Davis, T. et al. Direct inhibition of the NOTCH transcription factor complex. Nature 462, 182–188 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08543

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