Abstract IA13: Combination of DNA methyltransferase and PARP inhibitors as a novel therapy strategy for multiple cancers: Key data in AML and triple negative breast cancer
Authors: Muvarak Nidal , Chowdhury Khadiza , Robert Carine , Limin Xia , Choi Eun Yong , Cai Yi , Bellani Marina , Seidman Michael , Baer Maria R. , Lapidus Rena , Baylin Stephen B. , Rassool Feyruz V. 
Published: December 2017

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors represent one of the most exciting recent developments in cancer therapy. While substantial efficacy has been shown with clinically available PARP inhibitors (PARPis), to date, in treatment of hereditary deletions of BRCA1/2 in breast and ovarian cancers, the high promise of these drugs has not yet been realized in sporadic cancers. We present here strong preclinical data for a novel, mechanistically based, combinatorial approach to using DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTis), such as decitabine (DAC) and 5-Azacytidine (5-AZA), with PARP inhibitors (PARPis) as a treatment strategy for acute myelogenous leukemias (AML) and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). We have previously demonstrated that low doses of 5-AZA and DAC alone show efficacy in AML and TNBC, and propose treatment with PARPis to enhance sensitivity of cancer cells to DNMTis. The mechanistic rationale for our approach is based upon: 1) data from our group and others showing DNMT1 and PARP1 associate in a complex, and this association increases with DNA damage; 2) the fact that 5-AZA and DAC trap DNMTs led us to hypothesize that these drugs might also increase PARP trapping at DNA damage sites; and 3) the cytotoxicity of the most potent PARPis (e.g. BMN 673) appears to correlate with the degree of trapping of PARP1 in chromatin. We first find that in cultured human AML and TNBC cells, the DNMTis (5 to 20 nM DAC or 100 to 200nM 5-AZA) and PARPis (1 to 10 nM BMN 673) alone trap PARP into chromatin, and this effect is enhanced when the drugs are combined. In addition, the PARPi-DNMTi combination treatment of TNBC cell line MDA-MB-231 resulted in significantly enhanced retention of PARP1 and DNMT1 at sites of double strand breaks (DSBs) induced by laser microirradiation. Concomitant with this, the combined doses resulted in significant increases in cytotoxic DSBs, observed 4-24 hours after DSB induction, when compared to single-drug treatments. Homologous recombination (HR) DSB repair activity also appears decreased, as measured by GFP reporter assays.

In keeping with these findings, colony survival assays demonstrated that the combination treatment, compared to either drug alone, strongly inhibited colony formation of TNBC cell lines (N=4). Notably non-tumorigenic MCF10A cells showed no significant differences in colony numbers with single or combination drug treatments. Similar to TNBCs, AML cell lines (N=3) as well as primary AML cells (N=8) showed dramatic decreases in colonies in combination vs single agent drug treatments. In the most important translational implications of the preliminary studies, in in vivo therapy TNBC and AML models in immune-deficient mice, our low dose combinations of DNMTis and PARPis provide for potent anti-tumor responses. Mouse xenograft experiments using BRCA mutant TNBC cell line SUM149PT demonstrated that the combination treatment has a significant (p&lt;0.05) survival advantage compared to control (vehicle), AZA (0.5mg/kg) or BMN (0.3 mg/kg) alone. Importantly, mouse MDA-MB-231 xenografts with intact BRCA1 showed significant survival with the combined drug treatment. Likewise in AML xenografts of MOLM14 and MV411 cell lines treated with the drug combination show significantly decrease leukemia burden, as measured by luciferase imaging. Our data suggest a novel use of both DNMTis and PARPis in a compelling therapeutic strategy for TNBCs independent of BRCA mutations and poor prognosis AML; the latter will be investigated in a clinical trial to be based at the University of Maryland and funded by Van Andel-SU2C.

Citation Format: Nidal Muvarak, Khadiza Chowdhury, Carine Robert, Xia Limin, Eun Yong Choi, Yi Cai, Marina Bellani, Michael Seidman, Maria R. Baer, Rena Lapidus, Stephen B. Baylin, Feyruz V. Rassool. Combination of DNA methyltransferase and PARP inhibitors as a novel therapy strategy for multiple cancers: Key data in AML and triple negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR International Conference: New Frontiers in Cancer Research; 2017 Jan 18-22; Cape Town, South Africa. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(22 Suppl):Abstract nr IA13.