CRISPR screens identify the ATPase VCP as a druggable therapeutic vulnerability in cholangiocarcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) remains a lethal malignancy with limited therapeutic options. Through genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screening, we identified the adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) valosin-containing protein (VCP) as a critical dependency in CCA. Compound screens revealed that the VCP inhibitor CB-5339 potently suppresses CCA proliferation in a panel of patient-derived organoids by inducing cellular senescence. It is known that senescent cells persist, and this can contribute to therapy resistance. To address this, we combined CB-5339 with senolytic agents (ABT-263 and conatumumab), which selectively eliminate senescent CCA cells, resulting in enhanced tumor suppression both in vitro and in vivo. Clinical analysis showed that VCP overexpression in CCA patients correlates with poor prognosis. Our study unveils a "one-two punch" strategy, targeting VCP-mediated senescence followed by senolytic clearance, offering a promising therapeutic approach for CCA.
Authors
- Robin A. Jansen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7272-234X)
- Hongyi Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9643-0790)
- Siying Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0810-8828)
- Shuo Lian
- Haojie Jin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9295-1951)
- René Bernards (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8677-3423)
- Wenxin Qin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1989-3027)
- Yao Shi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0068-4804)
- Kongyan Niu
- Shuyi Ji (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5348-1234)
- Roderick L. Beijersbergen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0116-4130)
- Ming Guan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8796-2653)
- Zhenjun Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7791-3711)
- Qiang Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9318-4501)
- Jia Qi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9311-5928)
- Yang Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6782-0439)
- Zhoulong Fan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1457-5967)
- Wei Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5164-2765)
- Cor Lieftink (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2754-4150)
- Zhe Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3738-4418)
- Liqin Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9881-6432)
- Xuan Deng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9926-5612)
- Jian Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7684-0845)
- Jiaojiao Zheng
Institutions
- Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Fudan University (CN)
- Renji Hospital (CN)
- Shanghai Innovative Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CN)
- Shanghai Cancer Institute (CN)
- Oncode Institute (NL)
- Shanghai East Hospital (CN)
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (CN)
- Ministry of Education (ET)
- Huashan Hospital (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2025-09-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2519568122
- Primary Topic
- Cholangiocarcinoma and Gallbladder Cancer Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00