A novel cereblon modulator recruits GSPT1 to the CRL4(CRBN) ubiquitin ligase
NATURE
Authors: Matyskiela, Mary E.; Lu, Gang; Ito, Takumi; Pagarigan, Barbra; Lu, Chin-Chun; Miller, Karen; Fang, Wei; Wang, Nai-Yu; Nguyen, Derek; Houston, Jack; Carmel, Gilles; Tran, Tam; Riley, Mariko; Nosaka, Lyn'Al; Lander, Gabriel C.; Gaidarova, Svetlana; Xu, Shuichan; Ruchelman, Alexander L.; Handa, Hiroshi; Carmichael, James; Daniel, Thomas O.; Cathers, Brian E.; Lopez-Girona, Antonia; Chamberlain, Philip P.
Abstract
Immunomodulatory drugs bind to cereblon (CRBN) to confer differentiated substrate specificity on the CRL4(CRBN) E3 ubiquitin ligase. Here we report the identification of a new cereblon modulator, CC-885, with potent anti-tumour activity. The anti-tumour activity of CC-885 is mediated through the cereblon-dependent ubiquitination and degradation of the translation termination factor GSPT1. Patient-derived acute myeloid leukaemia tumour cells exhibit high sensitivity to CC-885, indicating the clinical potential of this mechanism. Crystallographic studies of the CRBN-DDB1-CC-885-GSPT1 complex reveal that GSPT1 binds to cereblon through a surface turn containing a glycine residue at a key position, interacting with both CC-885 and a 'hotspot' on the cereblon surface. Although GSPT1 possesses no obvious structural, sequence or functional homology to previously known cereblon substrates, mutational analysis and modelling indicate that the cereblon substrate Ikaros uses a similar structural feature to bind cereblon, suggesting a common motif for substrate recruitment. These findings define a structural degron underlying cereblon 'neosubstrate' selectivity, and identify an anti-tumour target rendered druggable by cereblon modulation.
Conserved molecular portraits of bovine and human blastocysts as a consequence of the transition from maternal to embryonic control of gene expression
PHYSIOLOGICAL GENOMICS
Authors: Adjaye, James; Herwig, Ralf; Brink, Thore C.; Herrmann, Doris; Greber, Boris; Sudheer, Smita; Groth, Detlef; Carnwath, Joseph W.; Lehrach, Hans; Niemann, Heiner
Abstract
The present study investigated mRNA expression profiles of bovine oocytes and blastocysts by using a cross-species hybridization approach employing an array consisting of 15,529 human cDNAs as probe, thus enabling the identification of conserved genes during human and bovine preimplantation development. Our analysis revealed 419 genes that were expressed in both oocytes and blastocysts. The expression of 1,324 genes was detected exclusively in the blastocyst, in contrast to 164 in the oocyte including a significant number of novel genes. Genes indicative for transcriptional and translational control (ELAVL4, TACC3) were overexpressed in the oocyte, whereas cellular trafficking (SLC2A14, SLC1A3), proteasome (PSMA1, PSMB3), cell cycle (BUB3, CCNE1, GSPT1), and protein modification and turnover (TNK1, UBE3A) genes were found to be overexpressed in blastocysts. Transcripts implicated in chromatin remodeling were found in both oocytes ( NASP, SMARCA2) and blastocysts (H2AFY, HDAC7A). The trophectodermal markers PSG2 and KRT18 were enriched 5- and 50- fold in the blastocyst. Pathway analysis revealed differential expression of genes involved in 107 distinct signaling and metabolic pathways. For example, phosphatidylinositol signaling and gluconeogenesis were prominent pathways identified in the blastocyst. Expression patterns in bovine and human blastocysts were to a large extent identical. This analysis compared the transcriptomes of bovine oocytes and blastocysts and provides a solid foundation for future studies on the first major differentiation events in blastocysts and identification of a set of markers indicative for regular mammalian development.