Syrbactin Structural Analog TIR-199 Blocks Proteasome Activity and Induces Tumor Cell Death.

Multiple myeloma is an aggressive hematopoietic cancer of plasma cells. The recent emergence of three effective FDA-approved proteasome-inhibiting drugs, bortezomib (Velcade®), carfilzomib (Kyprolis®), and ixazomib (Ninlaro®), confirms that proteasome inhibitors are therapeutically useful against neoplastic disease, in particular refractory multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. This study describes the synthesis, computational affinity assessment, and preclinical evaluation of TIR-199, a natural product-derived syrbactin structural analog.

Withaferin A Inhibits STAT3 and Induces Tumor Cell Death in Neuroblastoma and Multiple Myeloma.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is an oncogenic transcription factor that has been implicated in many human cancers and has emerged as an ideal target for cancer therapy. Withaferin A (WFA) is a natural product with promising antiproliferative properties through its association with a number of molecular targets including STAT3. However, the effect of WFA in pediatric neuroblastoma (NB) and its interaction with STAT3 have not been reported.

Phosphorylation is the switch that turns PEA-15 from tumor suppressor to tumor promoter.

Abnormal ERK signaling is implicated in many human diseases including cancer. This signaling cascade is a good target for the therapy of certain malignancies because of its important role in regulating cell proliferation and survival. The small phosphoprotein PEA-15 is a potent regulator of the ERK signaling cascade, and, by acting on this pathway, has been described to have both tumor-suppressor and tumor-promoter functions.

PEA15 impairs cell migration and correlates with clinical features predicting good prognosis in neuroblastoma.

ERK and RSK2 drive proliferation and invasion of many cancers. Phosphoprotein enriched in astrocytes 15 (PEA15) binds ERK and RSK2 and high PEA15 levels can impair ERK- and RSK2-dependent transcription. PEA15 expression also inversely correlates with cell motility and invasiveness.

Syringolin B-inspired proteasome inhibitor analogue TIR-203 exhibits enhanced biological activity in multiple myeloma and neuroblastoma.

Context: The bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (Pss) is a pathogen of many plant species and causes, for example, brown spot disease in bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris). Pss excretes the syringolins, natural product molecules that act as a virulence factors and inhibit the proteasome of the host plants.

Metastatic progression of prostate cancer and e-cadherin regulation by zeb1 and SRC family kinases.

Expression of E-cadherin is used to monitor the epithelial phenotype, and its loss is suggestive of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT triggers tumor metastasis. Exit from EMT is marked by increased E-cadherin expression and is considered necessary for tumor growth at sites of metastasis; however, the mechanisms associated with exit from EMT are poorly understood.

The death effector domain protein PEA-15 negatively regulates T-cell receptor signaling.

PEA-15 is a death effector domain-containing phosphoprotein that binds ERK and restricts it to the cytoplasm. PEA-15 also binds to FADD and thereby blocks apoptosis induced by death receptors. Abnormal expression of PEA-15 is associated with type II diabetes and some cancers; however, its physiological function remains unclear.

ERK MAP kinase is targeted to RSK2 by the phosphoprotein PEA-15.

The ERK pathway responds to extracellular stimuli and oncogenes by modulating cellular processes, including transcription, adhesion, survival, and proliferation. ERK has diverse substrates that carry out these functions. The processes that are modulated are determined in part by the substrates that ERK phosphorylates.