Cited by 358Protein Degradation and InhibitorsCancer-related Molecular PathwaysUbiquitin and proteasome pathways

MDM2-Recruiting PROTAC Offers Superior, Synergistic Antiproliferative Activity via Simultaneous Degradation of BRD4 and Stabilization of p53

Open access
Hines, John, Lartigue, Schan, Dong, Hanqing, Qian, Yimin, Crews, Craig M.·2019·Cancer Research

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

Although the number of proteins effectively targeted for posttranslational degradation by PROTAC has grown steadily, the number of E3 ligases successfully exploited to accomplish this has been limited to the few for which small-molecule ligands have been discovered. Although the E3 ligase MDM2 is bound by the nutlin class of small-molecule ligands, there are few nutlin-based PROTAC. Because a nutlin-based PROTAC should both knockdown its target protein and upregulate the tumor suppressor p53, we examined the ability of such a PROTAC to decrease cancer cell viability. A nutlin-based, BRD4-degrading PROTAC, A1874, was able to degrade its target protein by 98% with nanomolar potency. Given the complementary ability of A1874 to stabilize p53, we discovered that the nutlin-based PROTAC was more effective in inhibiting proliferation of many cancer cell lines with wild-type p53 than was a corresponding VHL-utilizing PROTAC with similar potency and efficacy to degrade BRD4. This is the first report of a PROTAC in which the E3 ligase ligand and targeting warhead combine to exert a synergistic antiproliferative effect. Our study highlights the untapped potential that may be unlocked by expanding the repertoire of E3 ligases that can be recruited by PROTAC. Significance: These findings present the first BRD4-targeting MDM2-based PROTAC that possesses potent, distinct, and synergistic biological activities associated with both ends of this heterobifunctional molecule.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1158/0008-5472.can-18-2918

Cites

55 of 55 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • A1874 degraded BRD4 almost completely in HCT116 cells at 100 nM within 24 h.

    “This PROTAC, A1874, degraded BRD4 almost completely in HCT116 cells at 100 nM within 24 h.”

    From Advances in targeted degradation of endogenous proteins (2019) · cites this paper as [68]

  • A MDM2-based PROTAC could synergistically combine a catalytic mechanism of action, via degradation of a neo-substrate, and an occupancy-based effect, via competition with and stabilization of the endogenous substrate p53.

    “It was recently shown that a MDM2-based PROTAC could synergistically combine a catalytic mechanism of action, via degradation of a neo-substrate, and an occupancy-based effect, via competition with, and stabilization of, the endogenous substrate p53 (ref. 60 ).”

    From Targeted protein degradation: expanding the toolbox (2019) · cites this paper as [60]

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

1 of the 56 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Hines, J., Lartigue, S., Dong, H., Qian, Y., & Crews, C. M.
Affiliations
  • Yale University (US)
  • Arvinas (United States) (US)
Corresponding author
Crews, Craig M.
Venue
Cancer Research
Published
2019-01-01
Volume
79
Issue
1
Pages
251-262
ISSN
  • 0008-5472 (ISSN-L)
  • 1538-7445
OpenAlex
W2898621430
Cited by
348
References
56
Citations by year
2026: 30 · 2025: 49 · 2024: 52 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 60 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 25 · 2014: 1
FWCI
10.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cancer Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • NCI (R50 CA211252)
  • NIH (R35 CA197589)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Degradation and Inhibitors
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer-related Molecular Pathways
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Ubiquitin and proteasome pathways
Keywords
PROTACs, MDM2, BRD4 degradation, p53 stabilization, nutlin, E3 ubiquitin ligase, VHL, antiproliferative activity, drug synergy, heterobifunctional molecules, tumor cell proliferation
MeSH terms
Bromodomain Containing Proteins, Drug Synergism, Fibrinolytic Agents, Humans, Neoplasms, Nuclear Proteins, Peptides, Transcription Factors, Tumor Cells, Cultured, Tumor Suppressor Protein p53, Cell Cycle Proteins, Cell Proliferation, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2, Protein Stability, Proteolysis

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review