Small Molecule Therapeutics Overcoming Platinum Resistance in Preclinical Models of Ovarian Cancer Using the Neddylation Inhibitor MLN4924

The nearly ubiquitous development of chemoresistant disease remains a major obstacle against improving outcomes for patients with ovarian cancer. In this investigation, we evaluated the preclinical activity of MLN4924, an investigational inhibitor of the NEDD8-activating enzyme, in ovarian cancer cells. Efficacy of MLN4924 both alone and in combination with platinum was assessed. Overall, single-agent MLN4924 exhibited moderate activity in ovarian cancer cell lines. However, the combination of MLN4924 with cisplatin or carboplatin produced synergistic effects in SKOV3 and ES2 cells, as well as in primary ovarian cancer cell lines established from high-grade serous, clear cell, and serous borderline ovarian tumors. The efficacy of cisplatin plus MLN4924 was also evident in several in vitromodels of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Mechanistically, the combination of cisplatin and MLN4924 was not associated with DNA re-replication, altered platinum-DNA adduct formation, abrogation of FANCD2 monoubiquitination, or CHK1 phosphorylation. An siRNA screen was used to investigate the contribution of each member of the cullin RING ligase (CRL) family of E3 ubiquitin ligases, the best-characterized downstream mediators of MLN4924’s biologic effects. Cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity was augmented by depletion of CUL3, and antagonized by siCUL1 in both ES2 and SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells. This investigation identifies inhibition of neddylation as a novel mechanism for overcoming platinum resistance in vitro, and provides a strong rationale for clinical investigations of platinum and MLN4924 combinations in ovarian cancer. Mol Cancer Ther; 12(10); 1958–67. 2013 AACR.