RESUMO

Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) selectively eliminate detrimental proteins by exploiting the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), representing a promising therapeutic strategy against various diseases. Effective adaptations of degradation signal sequences and E3 ligases for PROTACs remain limited. Here, we employed three amino acids─Gly, Pro, and Lys─as the ligand to recruit the corresponding E3 ligases: CRL2ZYG11B/ZER1, GID4, and UBRs, to degrade EML4-ALK and mutant EGFR, two oncogenic drivers in NSCLC. We found that the extent of EML4-ALK and EGFR reduction can be easily fine-tuned by using different degradation signals. These amino acid-based PROTACs, termed AATacs, hindered proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of NSCLC cells in vitro. Compared to other PROTACs, AATacs are small, interchangeable but with different degradation efficiency. Our study further expands the repertoire of E3 ligases and their ligands for PROTAC application, improving the versatility and utility of targeted protein degradation for therapeutic purposes.

Assuntos

Aminoácidos , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas , Neoplasias Pulmonares , Proteólise , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases , Humanos , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/tratamento farmacológico , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/patologia , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/metabolismo , Proteólise/efeitos dos fármacos , Neoplasias Pulmonares/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patologia , Neoplasias Pulmonares/metabolismo , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases/metabolismo , Aminoácidos/farmacologia , Aminoácidos/metabolismo , Aminoácidos/química , Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Antineoplásicos/química , Antineoplásicos/síntese química , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Receptores ErbB/metabolismo , Receptores ErbB/antagonistas & inibidores , Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Quimera de Direcionamento de Proteólise