Cited by 68Hippo pathway signaling and YAP/TAZCancer-related molecular mechanisms researchHistone Deacetylase Inhibitors Research

Covalent disruptor of YAP-TEAD association suppresses defective Hippo signaling

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Fan, Mengyang, Lu, Wenchao, Che, Jianwei, Kwiatkowski, Nicholas P, Gao, Yang, Seo, Hyuk-Soo, Ficarro, Scott B, Gokhale, Prafulla C +18 more·2022·eLife

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

The transcription factor TEAD, together with its coactivator YAP/TAZ, is a key transcriptional modulator of the Hippo pathway. Activation of TEAD transcription by YAP has been implicated in a number of malignancies, and this complex represents a promising target for drug discovery. However, both YAP and its extensive binding interfaces to TEAD have been difficult to address using small molecules, mainly due to a lack of druggable pockets. TEAD is post-translationally modified by palmitoylation that targets a conserved cysteine at a central pocket, which provides an opportunity to develop cysteine-directed covalent small molecules for TEAD inhibition. Here, we employed covalent fragment screening approach followed by structure-based design to develop an irreversible TEAD inhibitor MYF-03–69. Using a range of in vitro and cell-based assays we demonstrated that through a covalent binding with TEAD palmitate pocket, MYF-03–69 disrupts YAP-TEAD association, suppresses TEAD transcriptional activity and inhibits cell growth of Hippo signaling defective malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Further, a cell viability screening with a panel of 903 cancer cell lines indicated a high correlation between TEAD-YAP dependency and the sensitivity to MYF-03–69. Transcription profiling identified the upregulation of proapoptotic BMF gene in cancer cells that are sensitive to TEAD inhibition. Further optimization of MYF-03–69 led to an in vivo compatible compound MYF-03–176, which shows strong antitumor efficacy in MPM mouse xenograft model via oral administration. Taken together, we disclosed a story of the development of covalent TEAD inhibitors and its high therapeutic potential for clinic treatment for the cancers that are driven by TEAD-YAP alteration.

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Authors
Fan, M., Lu, W., Che, J., Kwiatkowski, N. P., Gao, Y., Seo, H.-S., Ficarro, S. B., Gokhale, P. C., Liu, Y., Geffken, E. A., Lakhani, J., Song, K., Kuljanin, M., Ji, W., Jiang, J., He, Z., Tse, J., Boghossian, A. S., Rees, M. G., Ronan, M. M., Roth, J. A., Mancias, J. D., Marto, J. A., Dhe-Paganon, S., Zhang, T., & Gray, N. S.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (US)
  • Stanford Medicine (US)
  • Broad Institute (US)
  • Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School
Corresponding author
  • Zhang, Tinghu
  • Gray, Nathanael S
Venue
eLife
Published
2022-10-27
Volume
11
ISSN
2050-084X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4307366576
Cited by
68
References
59
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 14 · 2020: 1
FWCI
7.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • eLife (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Epiphanes
  • Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Hippo pathway signaling and YAP/TAZ
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Research
Keywords
TEAD, YAP, Hippo signaling pathway, covalent inhibitors, palmitoylation, malignant pleural mesothelioma, BMF, structure-based drug design
MeSH terms
Hippo Signaling Pathway, Animals, Cysteine, Humans, Research Design, Transplantation, Heterologous, Transcriptional Activation, Mice

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