Deactivation of Akt by a small molecule inhibitor targeting pleckstrin homology domain and facilitating Akt ubiquitination

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Apr 19;108(16):6486-91. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1019062108. Epub 2011 Apr 4.

Abstract

The phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-triphosphate (PIP3) binding function of pleckstrin homology (PH) domain is essential for the activation of oncogenic Akt/PKB kinase. Following the PIP3-mediated activation at the membrane, the activated Akt is subjected to other regulatory events, including ubiquitination-mediated deactivation. Here, by identifying and characterizing an allosteric inhibitor, SC66, we show that the facilitated ubiquitination effectively terminates Akt signaling. Mechanistically, SC66 manifests a dual inhibitory activity that directly interferes with the PH domain binding to PIP3 and facilitates Akt ubiquitination. A known PH domain-dependent allosteric inhibitor, which stabilizes Akt, prevents the SC66-induced Akt ubiquitination. A cancer-relevant Akt1 (e17k) mutant is unstable, making it intrinsically sensitive to functional inhibition by SC66 in cellular contexts in which the PI3K inhibition has little inhibitory effect. As a result of its dual inhibitory activity, SC66 manifests a more effective growth suppression of transformed cells that contain a high level of Akt signaling, compared with other inhibitors of PIP3/Akt pathway. Finally, we show the anticancer activity of SC66 by using a soft agar assay as well as a mouse xenograft tumor model. In conclusion, in this study, we not only identify a dual-function Akt inhibitor, but also demonstrate that Akt ubiquitination could be chemically exploited to effectively facilitate its deactivation, thus identifying an avenue for pharmacological intervention in Akt signaling.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Allosteric Regulation / drug effects
  • Allosteric Regulation / genetics
  • Amino Acid Substitution
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Cyclohexanones / chemistry
  • Cyclohexanones / pharmacology*
  • Female
  • HEK293 Cells
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Mice, SCID
  • Mutation, Missense
  • Phosphatidylinositols / genetics
  • Phosphatidylinositols / metabolism
  • Protein Binding / drug effects
  • Protein Binding / genetics
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism*
  • Pyridines / chemistry
  • Pyridines / pharmacology*
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • Ubiquitination / drug effects*
  • Ubiquitination / genetics
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Cyclohexanones
  • Phosphatidylinositols
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Pyridines
  • SC-66 compound
  • phosphoinositide-3,4,5-triphosphate
  • AKT1 protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt