Mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies in cutaneous metastatic melanoma and myelodysplastic syndromes : Characterization and preclinical validation of innovative compounds

Le mélanome cutané métastatique et les syndromes myélodysplasiques (SMD) sont deux cancers incurables développant des résistances à leurs traitements antitumoraux de référence. Les cellules résistantes à ces thérapies sont caractérisées par une reprogrammation métabolique qui influence et facilite la progression tumorale. Par conséquent, l’inhibition des voies métaboliques semble être une stratégie thérapeutique prometteuse dans ces deux pathologies.Les deux équipes impliquées dans ce projet de thèse collaborent de longue date dans le domaine du cancer. Dans ce contexte et en partenariat avec l’Institut de Chimie de Nice, nos deux équipes ont mis au point des composés innovants ciblant les balances énergétiques intra cellulaires et la voie de l’AMPK. Parmi ces composés nous nous sommes intéressés plus précisément à l’AICAR (Acadésine). Un criblage d’efficacité et des études de structure-activité, nous ont permis d’optimiser la structure de nos composés. Sur la base de leur solubilité, de leur stabilité et sur leur capacité à induire la mort cellulaire de cellules tumorales, nous avons identifié le HA 344 comme composé « lead ». Cette étude propose de caractériser et de valider un nouvel inhibiteur covalent, le HA 344, dérivé de l’Acadésine, efficace sur des lignées de mélanomes et SMD sensibles et résistants à leur traitement de référence mais également sur cellules de patients. En combinant des techniques de click chimie, protéomique et métabolomique, nous avons identifié cette molécule comme un inhibiteur covalent de deux hubs métaboliques différents au sein des cellules tumorales. HA 344 inhibe l’étape finale et limitante de la glycolyse par sa liaison covalente à l’enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), et bloque simultanément l’activité de l’inosine monophosphate déshydrogénase (IMPDH), l’enzyme limitante de la synthèse de novo de guanylate. HA 344 bloque la croissance tumorale in vitro et in vivo de cellules de mélanome sensibles et résistantes aux inhibiteurs de BRAF. Ainsi, ce mécanisme d'action spécifique du HA 344 offre une nouvelle voie thérapeutique potentielle pour les patients atteints de mélanome cutané métastatique et d’autres cancers.Cutaneous metastatic melanoma (CMM) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are two incurable cancers developing resistance to their reference antitumor treatments. Cells resistant to these therapies are characterized by a metabolic reprogramming which profoundly influences and promotes tumor progression. Therefore, inhibition of metabolic pathways seems to be a promising therapeutic strategy to overcome resistance in these two pathologies.The two teams involved in this thesis project have a long-lasting collaboration in the field of cancer. In this context and in partnership with the Nice Institute of Chemistry, our two teams have developed innovative compounds targeting intra-cellular energy balances and the AMPK pathway. Among these compounds, we were more specifically interested in AICAR (Acadesine). Screening efficiency and structure-activity studies enabled us to optimize the structure of our compounds. Based on their solubility, their stability, and their ability to induce tumor cells death, we have identified HA 344 as a lead compound.This study describes the characterization and validation of a new covalent inhibitor, HA 344, derived from Acadesine, effective on CMM and MDS cell lines either sensitive or resistant to their reference treatment but also on CMM and MDS patient cells. By combining click chemistry, proteomics, and metabolomics approaches, we have identified this molecule as a covalent inhibitor of two different metabolic hubs within cancer cells. HA 344 inhibits the final and rate-limiting step of glycolysis through its covalent binding to the pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) enzyme, and concurrently blocks the activity of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), the rate-limiting enzyme of de novo guanylate synthesis. HA 344 efficiently eliminates tumor growth of BRAF inhibitor sensitive- and resistant-CMM cells both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, this specific mechanism of action of HA 344 provides potential therapeutic avenues not only for patients with CMM but also a broad range of cancers

Mécanismes de résistance aux thérapies ciblées dans le mélanome cutané métastatique et les syndromes myélodysplasiques : Caractérisation et validation préclinique de composés innovants

Cutaneous metastatic melanoma (CMM) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are two incurable cancers developing resistance to their reference antitumor treatments. Cells resistant to these therapies are characterized by a metabolic reprogramming which profoundly influences and promotes tumor progression. Therefore, inhibition of metabolic pathways seems to be a promising therapeutic strategy to overcome resistance in these two pathologies.The two teams involved in this thesis project have a long-lasting collaboration in the field of cancer. In this context and in partnership with the Nice Institute of Chemistry, our two teams have developed innovative compounds targeting intra-cellular energy balances and the AMPK pathway. Among these compounds, we were more specifically interested in AICAR (Acadesine). Screening efficiency and structure-activity studies enabled us to optimize the structure of our compounds. Based on their solubility, their stability, and their ability to induce tumor cells death, we have identified HA 344 as a lead compound.This study describes the characterization and validation of a new covalent inhibitor, HA 344, derived from Acadesine, effective on CMM and MDS cell lines either sensitive or resistant to their reference treatment but also on CMM and MDS patient cells. By combining click chemistry, proteomics, and metabolomics approaches, we have identified this molecule as a covalent inhibitor of two different metabolic hubs within cancer cells. HA 344 inhibits the final and rate-limiting step of glycolysis through its covalent binding to the pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) enzyme, and concurrently blocks the activity of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), the rate-limiting enzyme of de novo guanylate synthesis. HA 344 efficiently eliminates tumor growth of BRAF inhibitor sensitive- and resistant-CMM cells both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, this specific mechanism of action of HA 344 provides potential therapeutic avenues not only for patients with CMM but also a broad range of cancers.Le mélanome cutané métastatique et les syndromes myélodysplasiques (SMD) sont deux cancers incurables développant des résistances à leurs traitements antitumoraux de référence. Les cellules résistantes à ces thérapies sont caractérisées par une reprogrammation métabolique qui influence et facilite la progression tumorale. Par conséquent, l’inhibition des voies métaboliques semble être une stratégie thérapeutique prometteuse dans ces deux pathologies.Les deux équipes impliquées dans ce projet de thèse collaborent de longue date dans le domaine du cancer. Dans ce contexte et en partenariat avec l’Institut de Chimie de Nice, nos deux équipes ont mis au point des composés innovants ciblant les balances énergétiques intra cellulaires et la voie de l’AMPK. Parmi ces composés nous nous sommes intéressés plus précisément à l’AICAR (Acadésine). Un criblage d’efficacité et des études de structure-activité, nous ont permis d’optimiser la structure de nos composés. Sur la base de leur solubilité, de leur stabilité et sur leur capacité à induire la mort cellulaire de cellules tumorales, nous avons identifié le HA 344 comme composé « lead ». Cette étude propose de caractériser et de valider un nouvel inhibiteur covalent, le HA 344, dérivé de l’Acadésine, efficace sur des lignées de mélanomes et SMD sensibles et résistants à leur traitement de référence mais également sur cellules de patients. En combinant des techniques de click chimie, protéomique et métabolomique, nous avons identifié cette molécule comme un inhibiteur covalent de deux hubs métaboliques différents au sein des cellules tumorales. HA 344 inhibe l’étape finale et limitante de la glycolyse par sa liaison covalente à l’enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), et bloque simultanément l’activité de l’inosine monophosphate déshydrogénase (IMPDH), l’enzyme limitante de la synthèse de novo de guanylate. HA 344 bloque la croissance tumorale in vitro et in vivo de cellules de mélanome sensibles et résistantes aux inhibiteurs de BRAF. Ainsi, ce mécanisme d'action spécifique du HA 344 offre une nouvelle voie thérapeutique potentielle pour les patients atteints de mélanome cutané métastatique et d’autres cancers

Filtered Multicarrier Waveforms Classification: A Deep Learning-Based Approach

International audienceAutomatic signal recognition (ASR) plays an important role in various applications such as dynamic spectrum access and cognitive radio, hence it will be a key enabler for beyond 5G communications. Recently, many research works have been exploring deep learning (DL) based ASR, where it has been shown that simple convolutional neural networks (CNN) can outperform expert features based techniques. However, such works have been primarily focusing on single-carrier signals. With the advent of spectrally efficient filtered multicarrier waveforms, we propose in this paper, to revisit the DL based ASR to account for the variety and complexity of these new transmission schemes. Specifically, we design two types of classification algorithms. The first one relies on the cyclostationarity characteristics of the investigated waveforms combined with a support vector machine (SVM) classifier; while the second one explores the use of a four-layer CNN which performs both features extraction and classification. The proposed approaches do not require any a priori knowledge of the received signal parameters, and their performance is evaluated in a multipath channel through simulations for a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) ranging from −8 to 20 dB. The simulation results show that, despite cyclostationary characteristics being highly discriminative, the CNN outperforms the cyclostationary based classification especially for short time received signals, and low SNR levels

In Vitro and in Vivo Evaluation of Fully Substituted (5-(3-Ethoxy-3-oxopropynyl)-4-(ethoxycarbonyl)-1,2,3-triazolyl-glycosides as Original Nucleoside Analogues to Circumvent Resistance in Myeloid Malignancies

International audienceA series of nucleoside analogues bearing a 1,4,5-trisubstituted-1,2,3-triazole aglycone was synthesized using a straightforward click/electrophilic addition or click/oxidative coupling tandem procedures. SAR analysis, using cell culture assays, led to the discovery of a series of compounds belonging to the 5-alkynyl-1,2,3-triazole family that exhibits potent antileukemic effects on several hematologic malignancies including chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) either sensitive or resistant to their respective therapy. Compound 4a also proved efficient in vivo on mice xenografted with SKM1-R MDS cell line. Additionally, some insights in its mode of action revealed that this compound induced cell death by caspase and autophagy induction

ATP-competitive Plk1 inhibitors induce caspase 3-mediated Plk1 cleavage and activation in hematopoietic cell lines

International audiencePolo-like kinases (Plks) define a highly conserved family of Ser/Thr kinases with crucial roles in the regulation of cell division. Here we show that Plk1 is cleaved by caspase 3, but not by other caspases in different hematopoietic cell lines treated with competitive inhibitors of the ATP-binding pocket of Plk1. Intriguingly, Plk1 was not cleaved in cells treated with Rigosertib, a non-competitive inhibitor of Plk1, suggesting that binding of the inhibitor to the ATP binding pocket of Plk1 triggers a conformational change and unmasks a cryptic caspase 3 cleavage site on the protein. Cleavage occurs after Asp-404 in a DYSD/K sequence and separates the kinase domain from the two PBDs of Plk1. All Plk1 inhibitors triggered G2/M arrest, activation of caspases 2 and 3, polyploidy, multiple nuclei and mitotic catastrophe, albeit at higher concentrations in the case of Rigosertib. Upon BI-2536 treatment, Plk1 cleavage occurred only in the cytosolic fraction and cleaved Plk1 accumulated in this subcellular compartment. Importantly, the cleaved N-Terminal fragment of Plk1 exhibited a higher enzymatic activity than its non-cleaved counterpart and accumulated into the cytoplasm conversely to the full length and the C-Terminal Plk1 fragments that were found essentially into the nucleus. Finally, the DYSD/K cleavage site was highly conserved during evolution from c. elegans to human. In conclusion, we described herein for the first time a specific cleavage of Plk1 by caspase 3 following treatment of cancer cells with ATP-competitive inhibitors of Plk1

Discovery of a new molecule inducing melanoma cell death: dual AMPK/MELK targeting for novel melanoma therapies

International audienceAbstract In the search of biguanide-derived molecules against melanoma, we have discovered and developed a series of bioactive products and identified the promising new compound CRO15. This molecule exerted anti-melanoma effects on cells lines and cells isolated from patients including the ones derived from tumors resistant to BRAF inhibitors. Moreover, CRO15 was able to decrease viability of cells lines from a broad range of cancer types. This compound acts by two distinct mechanisms. First by activating the AMPK pathway induced by a mitochondrial disorder. Second by inhibition of MELK kinase activity, which induces cell cycle arrest and activation of DNA damage repair pathways by p53 and REDD1 activation. All of these mechanisms activate autophagic and apoptotic processes resulting in melanoma cell death. The strong efficacy of CRO15 to reduce the growth of melanoma xenograft sensitive or resistant to BRAF inhibitors opens interesting perspective

Acadesine Circumvents Azacitidine Resistance in Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) defines a group of heterogeneous hematologic malignancies that often progresses to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The leading treatment for high-risk MDS patients is azacitidine (Aza, Vidaza®), but a significant proportion of patients are refractory and all patients eventually relapse after an undefined time period. Therefore, new therapies for MDS are urgently needed. We present here evidence that acadesine (Aca, Acadra®), a nucleoside analog exerts potent anti-leukemic effects in both Aza-sensitive (OCI-M2S) and resistant (OCI-M2R) MDS/AML cell lines in vitro. Aca also exerts potent anti-leukemic effect on bone marrow cells from MDS/AML patients ex-vivo. The effect of Aca on MDS/AML cell line proliferation does not rely on apoptosis induction. It is also noteworthy that Aca is efficient to kill MDS cells in a co-culture model with human medullary stromal cell lines, that mimics better the interaction occurring in the bone marrow. These initial findings led us to initiate a phase I/II clinical trial using Acadra® in 12 Aza refractory MDS/AML patients. Despite a very good response in one out 4 patients, we stopped this trial because the highest Aca dose (210 mg/kg) caused serious renal side effects in several patients. In conclusion, the side effects of high Aca doses preclude its use in patients with strong comorbidities

Dual Covalent Inhibition of PKM and IMPDH Targets Metabolism in Cutaneous Metastatic Melanoma

International audienceAbstract Overcoming acquired drug resistance is a primary challenge in cancer treatment. Notably, more than 50% of patients with BRAFV600E cutaneous metastatic melanoma (CMM) eventually develop resistance to BRAF inhibitors. Resistant cells undergo metabolic reprogramming that profoundly influences therapeutic response and promotes tumor progression. Uncovering metabolic vulnerabilities could help suppress CMM tumor growth and overcome drug resistance. Here we identified a drug, HA344, that concomitantly targets two distinct metabolic hubs in cancer cells. HA344 inhibited the final and rate-limiting step of glycolysis through its covalent binding to the pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) enzyme, and it concurrently blocked the activity of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase, the rate-limiting enzyme of de novo guanylate synthesis. As a consequence, HA344 efficiently targeted vemurafenib-sensitive and vemurafenib-resistant CMM cells and impaired CMM xenograft tumor growth in mice. In addition, HA344 acted synergistically with BRAF inhibitors on CMM cell lines in vitro. Thus, the mechanism of action of HA344 provides potential therapeutic avenues for patients with CMM and a broad range of different cancers. Significance: Glycolytic and purine synthesis pathways are often deregulated in therapy-resistant tumors and can be targeted by the covalent inhibitor described in this study, suggesting its broad application for overcoming resistance in cancer