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Small molecule RITA binds to p53, blocks p53–HDM-2 interaction and activates p53 function in tumors

Nature Medicine volume 10, pages 1321–1328 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

In tumors that retain wild-type p53, its tumor-suppressor function is often impaired as a result of the deregulation of HDM-2, which binds to p53 and targets it for proteasomal degradation. We have screened a chemical library and identified a small molecule named RITA (reactivation of p53 and induction of tumor cell apoptosis), which bound to p53 and induced its accumulation in tumor cells. RITA prevented p53–HDM-2 interaction in vitro and in vivo and affected p53 interaction with several negative regulators. RITA induced expression of p53 target genes and massive apoptosis in various tumor cells lines expressing wild-type p53. RITA suppressed the growth of human fibroblasts and lymphoblasts only upon oncogene expression and showed substantial p53-dependent antitumor effect in vivo. RITA may serve as a lead compound for the development of an anticancer drug that targets tumors with wild-type p53.

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Figure 1: RITA suppressed the growth of tumor cells in a wild-type p53-dependent manner.
Figure 2: RITA bound the N terminus of p53 and induced the accumulation of p53 in an oncogene-dependent manner.
Figure 3: RITA blocked the interaction between p53 and HDM-2 and prevented p53 ubiquitination in vitro and in cells.
Figure 4: Restoration of transcriptional transactivation function of p53 by RITA.
Figure 5: RITA induced p53-dependent apoptosis.
Figure 6: Antitumor activity of RITA.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Drug Synthesis & Chemistry Branch, Developmental Therapeutics Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, for the library of low molecular weight compounds. We are indebted to all our colleagues for sharing cell lines and reagents with us. This work was supported by project grants from the Swedish Cancer Society (Cancerfonden), Swedish Research Council, Graduate Research School for Genomics and Bioinformatics (Stockholm), Lars Hiertas Minne and Robert Lundbergs Foundations and the Cancer Society of Stockholm. P.B. is a recipient of a fellowship from Wenner-Gren Foundation, Stockholm.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbiology and Tumor Biology Center, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SE-171 77, Sweden

    Natalia Issaeva, Przemyslaw Bozko, Martin Enge, Marina Protopopova, Lisette G G C Verhoef, Maria Masucci & Galina Selivanova

  2. Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SE-171 77, Sweden

    Aladdin Pramanik

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Fig. 1

RITA did not induce p53 and did not suppress the growth of mouse cell lines in a p53-dependent manner. (PDF 297 kb)

Supplementary Fig. 2

Studies of RITA interaction with proteins using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. (PDF 960 kb)

Supplementary Fig. 3

RITA did not inhibit the binding of p53 to the monoclonal antibody DO1 and Bcl-xL. (PDF 435 kb)

Supplementary Table 1

Growth suppression induced by RITA in different cell lines (PDF 83 kb)

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Issaeva, N., Bozko, P., Enge, M. et al. Small molecule RITA binds to p53, blocks p53–HDM-2 interaction and activates p53 function in tumors. Nat Med 10, 1321–1328 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1146

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