Suppression of tumor angiogenesis by targeting the protein neddylation pathway

Cell Death Dis. 2014 Feb 13;5(2):e1059. doi: 10.1038/cddis.2014.21.

Abstract

Inhibition of protein neddylation, particularly cullin neddylation, has emerged as a promising anticancer strategy, as evidenced by the antitumor activity in preclinical studies of the Nedd8-activating enzyme (NAE) inhibitor MLN4924. This small molecule can block the protein neddylation pathway and is now in clinical trials. We and others have previously shown that the antitumor activity of MLN4924 is mediated by its ability to induce apoptosis, autophagy and senescence in a cell context-dependent manner. However, whether MLN4924 has any effect on tumor angiogenesis remains unexplored. Here we report that MLN4924 inhibits angiogenesis in various in vitro and in vivo models, leading to the suppression of tumor growth and metastasis in highly malignant pancreatic cancer, indicating that blockage of angiogenesis is yet another mechanism contributing to its antitumor activity. At the molecular level, MLN4924 inhibits Cullin-RING E3 ligases (CRLs) by cullin deneddylation, causing accumulation of RhoA at an early stage to impair angiogenic activity of vascular endothelial cells and subsequently DNA damage response, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis due to accumulation of other tumor-suppressive substrates of CRLs. Furthermore, we showed that inactivation of CRLs, via small interfering RNA (siRNA) silencing of its essential subunit ROC1/RBX1, recapitulates the antiangiogenic effect of MLN4924. Taken together, our study demonstrates a previously unrecognized role of neddylation in the regulation of tumor angiogenesis using both pharmaceutical and genetic approaches, and provides proof of concept evidence for future development of neddylation inhibitors (such as MLN4924) as a novel class of antiangiogenic agents.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Carrier Proteins / genetics
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Cycle Checkpoints / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Chick Embryo
  • Chorioallantoic Membrane / blood supply*
  • Cullin Proteins / metabolism
  • Cyclopentanes / pharmacology*
  • DNA Damage
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Endothelial Cells / drug effects*
  • Endothelial Cells / enzymology
  • Endothelial Cells / pathology
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / drug effects
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / enzymology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Nude
  • NEDD8 Protein
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic*
  • Neovascularization, Physiologic / drug effects*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / blood supply*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational
  • Pyrimidines / pharmacology*
  • RNA Interference
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Time Factors
  • Tissue Culture Techniques
  • Transfection
  • Tumor Burden / drug effects
  • Ubiquitin-Activating Enzymes / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Ubiquitin-Activating Enzymes / metabolism
  • Ubiquitins / metabolism
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
  • rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / genetics
  • rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / metabolism

Substances

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Cullin Proteins
  • Cyclopentanes
  • NEDD8 Protein
  • NEDD8 protein, human
  • Pyrimidines
  • RBX1 protein, human
  • Ubiquitins
  • RHOA protein, human
  • rhoA GTP-Binding Protein
  • Ubiquitin-Activating Enzymes
  • NAE protein, human
  • pevonedistat