Zebrafish drug screening identifies Erlotinib as an inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and self-renewal in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia - 05/01/24

Abstract |
The Wnt/β-catenin pathway’s significance in cancer initiation, progression, and stem cell biology underscores its therapeutic potential. However, the clinical application of Wnt inhibitors remains limited due to challenges posed by off-target effects and complex cross-talk of Wnt signaling with other pathways. In this study, we leveraged a zebrafish model to perform a robust and rapid drug screening of 773 FDA-approved compounds to identify Wnt/β-catenin inhibitors with minimal toxicity. Utilizing zebrafish expressing a Wnt reporter, we identified several drugs that suppressed Wnt signaling without compromising zebrafish development. The efficacy of the top hit, Erlotinib, extended to human cells, where it blocked Wnt/β-catenin signaling downstream of the destruction complex. Notably, Erlotinib treatment reduced self-renewal in human T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia cells, which rely on active β-catenin signaling for maintenance of leukemia-initiating cells. Erlotinib also reduced leukemia-initiating cell frequency and delayed disease formation in zebrafish models. This study underscores zebrafish’s translational potential in drug discovery and repurposing and highlights a new use for Erlotinib as a Wnt inhibitor for cancers driven by aberrant Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Graphical Abstract |
Highlights |
• | Zebrafish assays streamline drug screening pipelines. |
• | Erlotinib was found to inhibit Wnt signaling in zebrafish and human cells. |
• | Erlotinib reduces self-renewal of leukemia initiating cells in T-ALL. |
• | Drug repurposing can be a successful strategy to inhibit self-renewal in cancer |
Abbreviations : ADP, AMP, AMPK, ANOVA, APC, ATP, β-Catenin, CSC, DMSO, Dvl, EDTA, EGFR, ELDA, EMEM, ETC, FACS, FBS, FDA, FITC, Fzd, GFP, GSK3β, HEPES, hpf, IACUC, LDA, LEF, LIC, LiCL, LP Sampler, MRD, PBS, p- β-catenin, RT-qPCR, T-ALL, TCF, VAST, Wnt
Keywords : Drug repurposing, FDA-approved, Drug screen, Cancer stem cells, Leukemia initiating cells, T-ALL
Plan
Vol 170
Article 116013- janvier 2024 Retour au numéroBienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.
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