Abstract 2315: Inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 as a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of synovial sarcoma
Authors: Li Xiaoyang , Garbutt Cassandra , Hornicek Francis John , Duan Zhenfeng 
Published: August 2018

Synovial sarcoma is a rare and aggressive form of soft tissue cancer that affects the extremities of the arms or legs, for which current chemotherapeutic agents have not been proven to be very effective. The cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6-retinoblastoma protein (CDK4/6-Rb) pathway is aberrant in a large proportion of cancer. Recent evidences on pre-clinical application of CDK4 inhibitors have been implicated in many types of human cancers, and the FDA has approved the CDK4 selective inhibitor for the treatment of breast cancer. However, the expression and therapeutic potential of CDK4 in synovial sarcoma remain unclear. In the present study, we examined the expression of CDK4 in synovial sarcoma cell lines by western blot and immunofluorescence assay, and in synovial sarcoma tissue microassays by immunohistochemical analysis. Cell viabilities were determined by MTT assay after exposure to different dosages of the selective CDK4 inhibitor. Flow cytometry analysis and wound healing assay were conducted to determine the mechanisms underlying the cytotoxic effects of the selective CDK4 inhibitor. CDK4 specific small interference RNA was used to validate the effect of targeting CDK4 by the selective CDK4 inhibitor in synovial sarcoma cells. We found that CDK4 was highly expressed in human synovial sarcoma, and was related to clinical stage and TNM grade in synovial sarcoma patients and poor prognosis in sarcoma patients. Cell viabilities determined by MTT assay after exposure to different dosages of the selective CDK4 inhibitor showed that this selective CDK4 inhibitor repressed synovial sarcoma cell proliferation and growth in a dose- and time- dependent manner. The selective CDK4 inhibitor inhibited the CDK4/6-Rb signaling pathway and promoted cell apoptosis without influence on the expression of CDK4/6, suggesting that the selective CDK4 inhibitor only repressed the hyperactivation, not the production of CDK4/6. The inhibition effect of the selective CDK4 inhibitor was confirmed by knockdown of CDK4 with specific small interference RNA. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that the selective CDK4 inhibitor induced G1 cell-cycle arrest by targeting CDK4/6-Rb pathway in synovial sarcoma cells. Furthermore, the wound healing assay exhibited that inhibition of CDK4/6-Rb pathway with the use of the selective CDK4 inhibitor significantly decreased synovial sarcoma cell migration in vitro. Our data highlight the role of dysregulated CDK4/6-Rb pathway and current selective CDK4/6 inhibitor may be a potential promising therapeutic agent in the targeted treatment of human synovial sarcoma.

Citation Format: Xiaoyang Li, Cassandra Garbutt, Francis John Hornicek, Zhenfeng Duan. Inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 as a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of synovial sarcoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2315.