Abstract 4875: The anti-tumor effects of GSK-3β inhibitor (9-1NG-41) in ETMR and ATRT pediatric brain tumors
Authors: Gandra Divya , Difabio Lauren , Smith Kaitlyn H. , McKinney Kimberly Q. , Sholler Giselle S. 
Published: April 2023

Purpose Embryonal brain tumors (EBTs): ETMR (embryonal tumor with multilayered rosettes) and ATRT (atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor) are aggressive malignancies with poor prognosis necessitating alternative strategies. GSK-3β is a serine threonine kinase often overexpressed in solid tumors and a positive regulator of NF-κB which promotes tumor growth and chemotherapy resistance. 9-ING-41 is a maleimide-based small molecule that crosses the blood brain barrier and selectively inhibits GSK-3β. Previously we demonstrated that 9-ING-41 decreases ETMR and ATRT cell viability through apoptosis and increases p53 signaling, however the exact mechanism leading to its activation is unknown. This study aims to determine the optimal dosing for 9-ING-41 and describe the phenotypic response of these cell lines to 9-ING-41 using cell viability assay, western blotting and neurosphere assay. This information will help further elucidate the mechanism of action for this drug.

Methods ATRT cell lines ATRT 2141, ATRT-787199, ATRT 803499, LCH-091-07 and the ETMR cell line BT-183 were grown for 24hrs prior to 9-ING-41 treatment in DMEM and Neurocult medium, respectively. Cell viability was assessed after 72hrs of treatment using Cell Titer Glo 2.0. Western blots were analyzed for XIAP, cleaved caspase-3, p53, MDM2 after 24 and 48 hours at 200nM, 400nM and 600nM. Neurosphere assays were done by seeding two cells per well in a 96-well plate followed by treatment with 9-ING-41. Neurosphere frequency and size was monitored weekly for up to 4 weeks using Incucyte® S3 software. Pearson’s correlation graph was generated to determine the relationship between GSK-3β expression and sensitivity to 9-ING-41. Graph Pad Prism was used for statistical analysis and level of significance set to p=0.05.

Results The IC50s of 9-ING-41 in cell lines ATRT 2141, ATRT-787199, ATRT 803499 and LCH-091-07 were 194nM, 558nM, 730nM & 5353nM, respectively. We observed decreased expression of NF-κB mediated anti-apoptotic marker XIAP and an increase in expression of apoptotic marker cleaved caspase-3 and tumor suppressor p53 in response to 9-ING-41. MDM2, a negative regulator of p53 had a significant increase in expression indicating it is not responsible for p53 increase which may suggest ATM pathway could be responsible for regulating p53 increase. GSK-3β expression in vitro, correlated with sensitivity to 9-ING-41. There was a dose dependent decrease in frequency and size of neurospheres in response to 9-ING-41.

Conclusion 9-ING-41 decreases cell viability and neurosphere formation in ETMR and ATRT cell lines within clinically relevant doses. p53 stabilization is not mediated by MDM2 and may be downstream of the ATM pathway. Further studies are underway to demonstrate its efficacy in mouse models.

Citation Format: Divya Gandra, Lauren Difabio, Kaitlyn H. Smith, Kimberly Q. McKinney, Giselle S. Sholler. The anti-tumor effects of GSK-3β inhibitor (9-1NG-41) in ETMR and ATRT pediatric brain tumors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4875.