Abstract 5633: Unique modulation of estrogen-induced apoptosis with structural analogues of endoxifen in long-term estrogen-deprived (LTED) breast cancer cells

Abstract

Abstract Endoxifen, a non-steroidal anti-estrogen is the active hydroxylated metabolite of N-desmethyltamoxifen. The structure is based on a synthetic triphenylethylene-type angular estrogen. Endoxifen is in clinical trials as a therapeutic agent to treat aromatase resistant breast cancer. Paradoxically, LTED breast cancer is known to respond to synthetic and natural estrogens through estrogen-induced apoptosis. A series of synthetic endoxifen analogs, were used to modulate estrogen-induced apoptosis in LTED breast cancer cells (MCF7:5C). X-ray crystallography was performed on endoxifen, bisphenol, and diethylstillbestrol (DES), bound to the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of the human estrogen receptor (ER). Cellular studies established that (MCF-7:5C) of estrogen-induced apoptosis was dependent on the LBD of the ER. Similarly, endoxifen blocked estrogen-induced apoptosis in a concentration and time-dependent manner. Apoptosis triggered by DES was blocked by endoxifen and was ER-dependent. X-ray crystallography of both endoxifen and DES illustrate the two extremes of estrogen-induced apoptosis, which is dependent upon the closure of helix 12 over the LBD to generate estrogenic activity. Despite the fact that bisphenol, an analog of endoxifen without the anti-estrogenic monomethylamino ethyl side chain, is an estrogen that causes breast cancer cell replication; bisphenol initially inhibits estrogen-induced apoptosis, but triggers estrogen-induced apoptosis itself after 7 days of treatment of LTED breast cancer cells. X-ray crystallography demonstrates that bisphenol can produce a unique complex with the ER:LBD, which is similar to the DES:LBD estrogenic complex. In both cases, the ligands are sealed into the LBD by helix 12. This delay in apoptosis caused by an analog of endoxifen, that is an angular estrogen, possess unique biological features. We hypothesize that in LTED cells the complex passes through an anti-estrogenic conformation to evolve into an estrogenic complex with helix 12 sealing the LBD. We describe a unique property of a ligand:receptor complex. For the first time we demonstrate that a ligand:receptor complex is slowly activated from an antagonist to an agonist complex over a period of days. Citation Format: Balkees Abderrahman, Sean W. Fanning, Daniela Quintana Rincon, Geoffrey Greene, Philipp Y. Maximov, V. Craig Jordan. Unique modulation of estrogen-induced apoptosis with structural analogues of endoxifen in long-term estrogen-deprived (LTED) breast cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5633. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5633