Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

A Potent and Selective Small-Molecule Degrader of STAT3 Achieves Complete Tumor Regression In Vivo

Journal Article · · Cancer Cell

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is an attractive cancer therapeutic target. Here we report the discovery of SD-36, a small-molecule degrader of STAT3. SD-36 potently induces the degradation of STAT3 protein in vitro and in vivo and demonstrates high selectivity over other STAT members. Induced degradation of STAT3 results in a strong suppression of its transcription network in leukemia and lymphoma cells. SD-36 inhibits the growth of a subset of acute myeloid leukemia and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma cell lines by inducing cell-cycle arrest and/or apoptosis. SD-36 achieves complete and long-lasting tumor regression in multiple xenograft mouse models at well-tolerated dose schedules. Degradation of STAT3 protein, therefore, is a promising cancer therapeutic strategy.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); Oncopia Therapeutics, Inc.; Rogel Cancer Center Core; National Cancer Institute (NCI); National Cancer Institute (NCI); Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Michigan Technology Tri-Corridor
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1708979
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1578219
OSTI ID: 1694213
Journal Information:
Cancer Cell, Journal Name: Cancer Cell Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 36; ISSN 1535-6108
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (82)

Constitutive activation of STAT3 in breast cancer cells: A review: Constitutive STAT3 activation in breast cancer journal November 2015
Non-canonical Stat3 signaling in cancer: NON-CANONICAL STAT3 SIGNALING IN CANCER journal December 2015
Development and validation of a genetic algorithm for flexible docking 1 1Edited by F. E. Cohen journal April 1997
Interferon activation of the transcription factor Stat91 involves dimerization through SH2-phosphotyrosyl peptide interactions journal March 1994
A general method for the preparation of benzylic α,α-difluorophosphonic acids; non-hydrolyzable mimemtics of phosphotyrosine journal July 1992
[20] Processing of X-ray diffraction data collected in oscillation mode book January 1997
Targeted protein degradation: elements of PROTAC design journal June 2019
MYC on the Path to Cancer journal March 2012
The Molecular Signatures Database Hallmark Gene Set Collection journal December 2015
Hijacking the E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Cereblon to Efficiently Target BRD4 journal June 2015
The Advantages of Targeted Protein Degradation Over Inhibition: An RTK Case Study journal January 2018
Role of hepatic STAT3 in brain-insulin action on hepatic glucose production journal April 2006
Mutations leading to constitutive active gp130/JAK1/STAT3 pathway journal October 2015
PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) — Past, present and future journal April 2019
Diverse Targets of the Transcription Factor STAT3 Contribute to T Cell Pathogenicity and Homeostasis journal May 2010
BET Bromodomain Proteins Function as Master Transcription Elongation Factors Independent of CDK9 Recruitment journal July 2017
Targeted protein degradation by PROTACs journal June 2017
Two decades of research in discovery of anticancer drugs targeting STAT3, how close are we? journal November 2018
Toward a new STATe: The role of STATs in mitochondrial function journal February 2014
Feedback Activation of STAT3 as a Cancer Drug-Resistance Mechanism journal January 2016
MultiNotch MS3 Enables Accurate, Sensitive, and Multiplexed Detection of Differential Expression across Cancer Cell Line Proteomes journal July 2014
Targeting the Src Homology 2 (SH2) Domain of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 6 (STAT6) with Cell-Permeable, Phosphatase-Stable Phosphopeptide Mimics Potently Inhibits Tyr641 Phosphorylation and Transcriptional Activity journal November 2015
Chemically Induced Degradation of Sirtuin 2 (Sirt2) by a Proteolysis Targeting Chimera (PROTAC) Based on Sirtuin Rearranging Ligands (SirReals) journal April 2017
Impact of Target Warhead and Linkage Vector on Inducing Protein Degradation: Comparison of Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal (BET) Degraders Derived from Triazolodiazepine (JQ1) and Tetrahydroquinoline (I-BET726) BET Inhibitor Scaffolds journal May 2017
Selective Small Molecule Induced Degradation of the BET Bromodomain Protein BRD4 journal June 2015
Translation Termination Factor GSPT1 Is a Phenotypically Relevant Off-Target of Heterobifunctional Phthalimide Degraders journal January 2018
Conformationally Constrained Peptidomimetic Inhibitors of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3: Evaluation and Molecular Modeling journal April 2009
Structure-Based Design of Conformationally Constrained, Cell-Permeable STAT3 Inhibitors journal March 2010
Three-dimensional structure of the Stat3β homodimer bound to DNA journal July 1998
Roles of unphosphorylated STATs in signaling journal March 2008
Structure of the DDB1–CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase in complex with thalidomide journal July 2014
Lenalidomide induces ubiquitination and degradation of CK1α in del(5q) MDS journal July 2015
A novel cereblon modulator recruits GSPT1 to the CRL4CRBN ubiquitin ligase journal June 2016
Catalytic in vivo protein knockdown by small-molecule PROTACs journal June 2015
Structural basis of PROTAC cooperative recognition for selective protein degradation journal March 2017
Pharmacological perturbation of CDK9 using selective CDK9 inhibition or degradation journal December 2017
Mechanisms of Disease: insights into the emerging role of signal transducers and activators of transcription in cancer journal June 2005
GenePattern 2.0 journal May 2006
Role of STAT-3 in regulation of hepatic gluconeogenic genes and carbohydrate metabolism in vivo journal January 2004
Drugging the 'undruggable' cancer targets journal June 2017
The STATs of cancer — new molecular targets come of age journal February 2004
Targeting the IL-6/JAK/STAT3 signalling axis in cancer journal February 2018
Induced protein degradation: an emerging drug discovery paradigm journal November 2016
The Stat3-Fam3a axis promotes muscle stem cell myogenic lineage progression by inducing mitochondrial respiration journal April 2019
Plasticity in binding confers selectivity in ligand-induced protein degradation journal June 2018
BAF complex vulnerabilities in cancer demonstrated via structure-based PROTAC design journal June 2019
Somatic STAT3 Mutations in Large Granular Lymphocytic Leukemia journal May 2012
STAT3 nuclear import is independent of tyrosine phosphorylation and mediated by importin- 3 journal May 2005
Gene set enrichment analysis: A knowledge-based approach for interpreting genome-wide expression profiles journal September 2005
Stat3-mediated Myc expression is required for Src transformation and PDGF-induced mitogenesis journal June 2001
Receptor-associated constitutive protein tyrosine phosphatase activity controls the kinase function of JAK1 journal August 1997
Targeted disruption of the mouse Stat3 gene leads to early embryonic lethality journal April 1997
Roles of Protein-tyrosine Phosphatases in Stat1α-mediated Cell Signaling journal October 1995
Mitochondrial-targeted Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) Protects against Ischemia-induced Changes in the Electron Transport Chain and the Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species* journal August 2011
The Import of the Transcription Factor STAT3 into Mitochondria Depends on GRIM-19, a Component of the Electron Transport Chain journal February 2013
STATs Dimerize in the Absence of Phosphorylation journal September 2003
Do STAT3 inhibitors have potential in the future for cancer therapy? journal July 2017
STAT3 Is Required for the gp130-mediated Full Activation of the c-myc Gene journal January 1999
Molecular signatures database (MSigDB) 3.0 journal May 2011
IC50-to-Ki: a web-based tool for converting IC50 to Ki values for inhibitors of enzyme activity and ligand binding journal April 2009
COSMIC: the Catalogue Of Somatic Mutations In Cancer journal October 2018
MYC Activation Is a Hallmark of Cancer Initiation and Maintenance journal June 2014
Therapeutic Strategies to Inhibit MYC journal October 2014
Unphosphorylated STAT3 accumulates in response to IL-6 and activates transcription by binding to NF B journal June 2007
Phaser crystallographic software journal July 2007
MolProbity : all-atom structure validation for macromolecular crystallography journal December 2009
Features and development of Coot journal March 2010
Mutations in the signal transducer and activator of transcription family of genes in cancer journal March 2018
Function of Mitochondrial Stat3 in Cellular Respiration journal February 2009
Mitochondrial STAT3 Supports Ras-Dependent Oncogenic Transformation journal June 2009
The Myeloma Drug Lenalidomide Promotes the Cereblon-Dependent Destruction of Ikaros Proteins journal November 2013
AZD9150, a next-generation antisense oligonucleotide inhibitor of STAT3 with early evidence of clinical activity in lymphoma and lung cancer journal November 2015
Essential Role of STAT3 in Body Weight and Glucose Homeostasis journal January 2004
Targeted Protein Degradation by Small Molecules journal January 2017
Targeted Degradation of BET Proteins in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer journal February 2017
What does Stat3 do? journal May 2002
Adipose-Specific Disruption of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Increases Body Weight and Adiposity journal December 2007
GRIM-19-mediated translocation of STAT3 to mitochondria is necessary for TNF-induced necroptosis journal March 2012
Stat3 promotes mitochondrial transcription and oxidative respiration during maintenance and induction of naive pluripotency journal February 2016
The Role of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) and Its Targeted Inhibition in Hematological Malignancies journal September 2018
STAT3 Target Genes Relevant to Human Cancers journal April 2014
STAT3 Activities and Energy Metabolism: Dangerous Liaisons journal July 2014