Discovery and design of molecular glue enhancers of CDK12–DDB1 interactions for targeted degradation of cyclin K
The CDK12 inhibitor SR-4835 promotes the proteasomal degradation of cyclin K, contingent on the presence of CDK12 and the CUL4-RBX1-DDB1 E3 ligase complex. The inhibitor displays molecular glue activity, which correlates with its enhanced ability to inhibit cell growth. This effect is achieved by facilitating the formation of a ternary complex that requires the small molecule SR-4835, CDK12, and the adaptor protein DDB1, leading to the subsequent ubiquitination and degradation of cyclin K. We have successfully solved the structure of the ternary complex, enabling the <i>de novo</i> design of molecular glues that transform four different CDK12 scaffold inhibitors, including the clinical pan-CDK inhibitor dinaciclib, into cyclin K degraders. These results not only deepen our understanding of CDK12's role in cell regulation but also underscore significant progress in designing molecular glues for targeted protein degradation in cancers associated with dysregulated cyclin K activity.
Authors
- Solomon Tadesse (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9966-2236)
- Vinayak Palve (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8221-5018)
- Sean Chin Chan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1768-5125)
- Andrii Monastyrskyi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1145-1822)
- E. Schönbrunn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3589-3510)
- Derek R. Duckett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2772-3615)
- K. Anand (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1953-7222)
- Dylan Grassie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5472-7289)
- William Roush (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9785-5897)
- Luxin Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5260-4664)
- Sylvia M. Frydman
- Matthias Geyer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7718-5002)
- John W. Mosior
- Maximilian Schmitz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6078-6503)
- Pompom Ghosh
- Thiyagamurthy Pandurangan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1919-1401)
Institutions
- Scripps Research Institute (US)
- University of Bonn (DE)
- Moffitt Cancer Center (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- RSC Chemical Biology
- Published
- 2024-10-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1039/d4cb00190g
- Citations
- 10
- Primary Topic
- Cancer-related Molecular Pathways
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.83
Funders
- U.S. Department of Defense
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute
- Moffitt Cancer Center
- Deutsche Krebshilfe
- National Cancer Institute
- Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs