Abstract 5226: Novel class of potent and selective inhibitors efface MTH1 as broad-spectrum cancer target
Authors: Ellermann Manuel , Giese Anja , Eheim Ashley , Bunse Stefanie , Neuhaus Roland , Weiske Jörg , Quanz Maria , Glasauer Andrea , Rahm Fredrik , Viklund Jenny , Andersson Martin , Ginman Tobias , Forsblom Rickard , Lindström Johan , Trésaugues Lionel , Gorjanacz Matyas 
Published: July 2017

Malignant transformation is accompanied by increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) known to promote carcinogenesis and damage free nucleotides and DNA. During replication, damaged nucleotides are incorporated into DNA resulting in DNA breaks and mutations, which can ultimately lead to cell death. Cancer cells may evade this process via overexpression of MTH1 (also known as NUDT1), a member of nudix phosphohydrolase protein family, which converts the oxidized nucleotides 8-oxo-dGTP and 2-OH-dATP into the corresponding monophosphates thus preventing their incorporation into DNA and avoiding cell death. Initial RNAi-mediated knockdown of MTH1 and tool compounds (TH588, (S)-crizotinib) inhibiting MTH1 supported this model. As MTH1 is not essential for non-transformed cell survival, MTH1 was hypothesized to be a non-oncogenic cancer addiction and a potential broad-spectrum cancer target. Attractive target rationale combined with previous success in identifying potent and cellularly active MTH1 inhibitors prompted us to develop new cancer therapeutics inhibiting MTH1. By using fragment-based screening and structure-based drug design, a series of 4-amino-2-carboxamide-7-azaindoles was identified. We developed biochemically potent and selective MTH1 inhibitors with good cell permeability and metabolic stability. These MTH1 inhibitors demonstrated target engagement in cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), and a strong positive correlation between cellular and biochemical potency was observed. One promising MTH1 inhibitor from this structural class was BAY-707. Unexpectedly however, these properties did not translate into accumulation of oxidized nucleotides within DNA and consequent induction of γH2AX and DNA damage response. Moreover, while tool compounds (TH588, (S)-crizotinib) were confirmed to be biochemically potent MTH1 inhibitors which stunted the proliferation of a range of cancer cell lines, our more potent and cellularly active MTH1 inhibitors, including BAY-707, demonstrated no significant effect on cancer cell survival. Furthermore, we were unable to demonstrate in vivo efficacy using xenograft models of human cancers or syngeneic mouse tumor models. Finally, our in vitro and in vivo combination studies with pro-oxidants, standard-of-care drugs or radiation also failed to result in significant additive or synergistic growth inhibitory effects on cancer cells. Thus, our findings support the recently published observations made with other potent and selective MTH1 chemical probes (AZ compound 15, IACS-4759, NPD7155) and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated MTH1 knockout. Based on these observations and our additional target validation experiments, we concluded that MTH1 is not essential for cancer cell survival or for the sanitization of damaged nucleotides within cells and thus not a viable target for development of novel anticancer agents.

Citation Format: Manuel Ellermann, Anja Giese, Ashley Eheim, Stefanie Bunse, Roland Neuhaus, Jörg Weiske, Maria Quanz, Andrea Glasauer, Fredrik Rahm, Jenny Viklund, Martin Andersson, Tobias Ginman, Rickard Forsblom, Johan Lindström, Lionel Trésaugues, Matyas Gorjanacz. Novel class of potent and selective inhibitors efface MTH1 as broad-spectrum cancer target [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5226. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5226