Exploiting the intrinsic misfolding propensity of the KRAS oncoprotein

Mutant KRAS is a major driver of oncogenesis in a multitude of cancers but remains a challenging target for classical small molecule drugs, motivating the exploration of alternative approaches. Here, we show that aggregation-prone regions (APRs) in the primary sequence of the oncoprotein constitute...

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Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2023-02, Vol.120 (9), p.e2214921120-e2214921120
Main Authors: Janssen, Kobe, Claes, Filip, Van de Velde, Dido, Wehbi, Vanessa L, Houben, Bert, Lampi, Yulia, Nys, Mieke, Khodaparast, Laleh, Khodaparast, Ladan, Louros, Nikolaos, van der Kant, Rob, Verniers, Joffre, Garcia, Teresa, Ramakers, Meine, Konstantoulea, Katerina, Maragkou, Katerina, Duran-Romaña, Ramon, Musteanu, Mónica, Barbacid, Mariano, Scorneaux, Bernard, Beirnaert, Els, Schymkowitz, Joost, Rousseau, Frederic
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adenocarcinoma
Amino acid sequence
Animals
Biological Sciences
Cancer
Cell Line, Tumor
Inactivation
K-Ras protein
Lung Neoplasms - genetics
Mice
Mutants
Mutation
Oncogene Proteins - metabolism
Oncoproteins
Peptides
Protein Folding
Proteins
Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) - genetics
Synthetic peptides
Tumor cell lines
Tumorigenesis
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Summary:Mutant KRAS is a major driver of oncogenesis in a multitude of cancers but remains a challenging target for classical small molecule drugs, motivating the exploration of alternative approaches. Here, we show that aggregation-prone regions (APRs) in the primary sequence of the oncoprotein constitute intrinsic vulnerabilities that can be exploited to misfold KRAS into protein aggregates. Conveniently, this propensity that is present in wild-type KRAS is increased in the common oncogenic mutations at positions 12 and 13. We show that synthetic peptides (Pept-ins™) derived from two distinct KRAS APRs could induce the misfolding and subsequent loss of function of oncogenic KRAS, both of recombinantly produced protein in solution, during cell-free translation and in cancer cells. The Pept-ins exerted antiproliferative activity against a range of mutant KRAS cell lines and abrogated tumor growth in a syngeneic lung adenocarcinoma mouse model driven by mutant KRAS G12V. These findings provide proof-of-concept that the intrinsic misfolding propensity of the KRAS oncoprotein can be exploited to cause its functional inactivation.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.2214921120