Discovery of a Highly Potent and Selective Dual PROTAC Degrader of CDK12 and CDK13

J Med Chem. 2022 Aug 25;65(16):11066-11083. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00384. Epub 2022 Aug 8.

Abstract

Selective degradation of the cyclin-dependent kinases 12 and 13 (CDK12/13) presents a novel therapeutic opportunity for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but there is still a lack of dual CDK12/13 degraders. Here, we report the discovery of the first series of highly potent and selective dual CDK12/13 degraders by employing the proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology. The optimal compound 7f effectively degraded CDK12 and CDK13 with DC50 values of 2.2 and 2.1 nM, respectively, in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Global proteomic profiling demonstrated the target selectivity of 7f. In vitro, 7f suppressed expression of core DNA damage response (DDR) genes in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Further, 7f markedly inhibited proliferation of multiple TNBC cell lines including MFM223, with an IC50 value of 47 nM. Importantly, 7f displayed a significantly improved antiproliferative activity compared to the structurally similar inhibitor 4, suggesting the potential advantage of a CDK12/13 degrader for TNBC targeted therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • CDC2 Protein Kinase* / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinases* / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Humans
  • Proteolysis
  • Proteomics
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms* / drug therapy

Substances

  • CDC2 Protein Kinase
  • CDK12 protein, human
  • CDK13 protein, human
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinases