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Small-molecule binding of the axin RGS domain promotes β-catenin and Ras degradation

Nature Chemical Biology volume 12, pages 593–600 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Both the Wnt/β-catenin and Ras pathways are aberrantly activated in most human colorectal cancers (CRCs) and interact cooperatively in tumor promotion. Inhibition of these signaling may therefore be an ideal strategy for treating CRC. We identified KY1220, a compound that destabilizes both β-catenin and Ras, via targeting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, and synthesized its derivative KYA1797K. KYA1797K bound directly to the regulators of G-protein signaling domain of axin, initiating β-catenin and Ras degradation through enhancement of the β-catenin destruction complex activating GSK3β. KYA1797K effectively suppressed the growth of CRCs harboring APC and KRAS mutations, as shown by various in vitro studies and by in vivo studies using xenograft and transgenic mouse models of tumors induced by APC and KRAS mutations. Destabilization of both β-catenin and Ras via targeting axin is a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of CRC and other type cancers activated Wnt/β-catenin and Ras pathways.

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Figure 1: Identification and characterization of KY1220, a small molecule that destabilizes both β-catenin and Ras.
Figure 2: Identification of KYA1797K, a derivative of KY1220 with improved inhibitory activity for Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
Figure 3: Identification of a target protein of KYA1797K.
Figure 4: Binding of KYA1797K to the axin-RGS domain, and its role in the degradation of β-catenin and Ras via GSK3β activation.
Figure 5: Inhibitory effects of KYA1797K on cell proliferation via degradation of β-catenin and Ras.
Figure 6: Effects of KYA1797K on the growth of intestinal tumors harboring both K-Ras and APC mutations.

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Acknowledgements

We thank B. Vogelstein, K.W. Kinzler, J.-W. Oh, N.-C. Ha and E.-h. Jho for providing cells and reagents. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean Government (MSIP) (grants 2016R1A5A1004694, 2015R1A2A1A05001873). Y.-H.C. and S.C. were supported by a BK21 studentship from the NRF.

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  1. Pu-Hyeon Cha and Yong-Hee Cho: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Translational Research Center for Protein Function Control, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

    Pu-Hyeon Cha, Yong-Hee Cho, Sang-Kyu Lee, JaeHeon Lee, Woo-Jeong Jeong, Byoung-San Moon, Ji-Hye Yun, Jee Sun Yang, Sooho Choi, Juyong Yoon, Hyun-Yi Kim, Mi-Yeon Kim, Saluja Kaduwal, Weontae Lee, Do Sik Min, Gyoonhee Han & Kang-Yell Choi

  2. Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

    Pu-Hyeon Cha, Yong-Hee Cho, Sang-Kyu Lee, JaeHeon Lee, Woo-Jeong Jeong, Byoung-San Moon, Jee Sun Yang, Juyong Yoon, Hyun-Yi Kim, Mi-Yeon Kim, Saluja Kaduwal, Gyoonhee Han & Kang-Yell Choi

  3. Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

    Ji-Hye Yun, Sooho Choi & Weontae Lee

  4. Department of Molecular Biology, College of Natural Science, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea

    Do Sik Min

  5. Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

    Hoguen Kim

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Contributions

P.-H.C., Y.-H.C., S.-K.L., W.-J.J., B.-S.M., J.-H.Y., S.C., J.Y., M.-Y.K. and S.K. designed and performed the all experiments. J.L. and J.S.Y. synthesized chemicals. P.H.C., J.S.Y., H.-Y.K., D.S.M., H.K., W.L. G.H. and K.-Y.C. performed data analysis. P.-H.C., Y.-H.C., J.Y., J.S.Y., D.S.M., G.H. and K.-Y.C. wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kang-Yell Choi.

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Cha, PH., Cho, YH., Lee, SK. et al. Small-molecule binding of the axin RGS domain promotes β-catenin and Ras degradation. Nat Chem Biol 12, 593–600 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.2103

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