Abstract B15: Dissecting the molecular mechanism of dianhydrogalactitol (VAL-083) activity in cancer treatment
Authors: Zhai Beibei , Steino Anne , Bacha Jeffrey , Brown Dennis , Daugaard Mads 
Published: April 2017

Introduction: Dianhydrogalactitol (VAL-083) is a bi-functional alkylating agent causing N7-guanine-methylation and inter-strand DNA crosslinks. In China, VAL-083 is approved to use in the chemotherapeutic treatment of lung cancer and chronic myelogenous leukemia. In the United States, VAL-083 is currently undergoing investigation as a new therapy in the treatment of temozolomide refractory glioblastoma (GBM). VAL-083 is a small water-soluble molecule that readily crosses blood-brain-barrier and accumulates in the tumor tissues in brain, making it a good candidate for targeting brain malignancies, such as GBM and medulloblastoma. Historical data from preclinical studies and clinical trials sponsored by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) support anti-neoplastic effects of VAL-083 in a variety of cancer types in addition to GBM, including lung cancer, leukemia, cervical cancer, and ovarian cancer. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms mediating VAL-083 sensitivity or resistance in cancer cells is still unclear. Therefore, we investigated the distinct mechanism of action of VAL-083 in different cancer cell lines.

Methods: VAL-083 cytotoxicity was evaluated in a panel of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines (A549, H2122, H1792, and H23) and prostate cancer cell lines (PC3 and LNCaP) by crystal violet assays. Cell cycle analysis and DNA damage response were investigated by propidium iodide (PI) and immunofluorescent (IF) staining. Western blot and IF staining analyses were employed to elucidate the DNA repair mechanism involved in VAL-083-treated cancer cells.

Results: In this study, we report new insights into VAL-083's mechanisms of action by showing that VAL-083 induces irreversible cell-cycle arrest and cell death caused by replication-dependent DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). In all the cancer cells tested, VAL-083 showed broad cytotoxicity with an IC50 range of 3.1 - 25.7 μM. In lung cancer (H2122, H1792, and A549) and prostate cancer (PC3 and LNCaP) cell lines, VAL-083 treatment caused irreversible cell cycle arrest at S/G2 phase as measured by PI and IF staining in synchronized cells, indicating that VAL-083-induced inter-strand crosslinks result in more difficult to repair DNA lesions during replication, including DSBs. Western blot and IF analyses of DNA repair markers were employed to investigate the DNA damage response induced by VAL-083 in cancer cells. The S/G2 phase cell cycle arrest and the increased γH2A.X (an indication of DSB lesions) expression persisted for 48-72 h after treatment with VAL-083, indicating prolonged unrepaired DNA lesions caused by VAL-083. VAL-083 pulse-treatment led to persistent phosphorylation of DSB sensors ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), single-strand DNA-binding replication protein A (RPA32), and H2A.X. Furthermore, Western blot analyses also demonstrated activation of the downstream effectors of ATM and ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein (ATR) kinases, Chk2 (T68) and Chk1 (S317 and S345). These results suggest that VAL-083-induced persistent and irreversible DNA damage activated the homologous recombination DNA repair signaling pathway in the panel of cancer cells studied.

Conclusions: VAL-083 displayed broad anti-neoplastic activity in different lung and prostate cancer cells through the replication-dependent DSBs. Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying VAL-083 cytotoxicity provides guidance for improved treatment strategies for cancer patients with VAL-083 in either single or combination regimens.

Citation Format: Beibei Zhai, Anne Steino, Jeffrey Bacha, Dennis Brown, Mads Daugaard. Dissecting the molecular mechanism of dianhydrogalactitol (VAL-083) activity in cancer treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on DNA Repair: Tumor Development and Therapeutic Response; 2016 Nov 2-5; Montreal, QC, Canada. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2017;15(4_Suppl):Abstract nr B15.