Abstract
Novel inhibitors are urgently needed for use as targeted therapies to improve the overall survival (OS) of patients with ovarian cancer. Here, we show that cell division cycle 25B (CDC25B) is over-expressed in ovarian tumors and associated with poor patient prognosis. All previously reported CDC25B inhibitors have been identified by their ability to reversibly inhibit the catalytic dephosphorylation activity of CDC25B in vitro; however, none of these compounds have entered clinical trials for ovarian cancer therapy. In this study, we synthesized a novel small molecule compound, WG-391D, that potently down-regulates CDC25B expression without affecting its catalytic dephosphorylation activity. The inhibition of CDC25B by WG-391D is irreversible, and WG-391D should therefore exhibit potent antitumor activity against ovarian cancer. WG-391D induces cell cycle progression arrest at the G2/M phase. Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of WG-391D for inhibition of the proliferation and migration of eight representative ovarian cancer cell lines (SKOV3, ES2, OVCAR8, OVTOKO, A2780, IGROV1, HO8910PM, and MCAS) and five primary ovarian tumor cell lines (GFY004, GFY005, CZ001, CZ006, and CZ008) were lower than 10 and 1 μM, respectively. WG-391D inhibited tumor growth in nude mice inoculated with SKOV3 cells or a patient-derived xenograft (PDX). The underlying mechanisms were associated with the down-regulation of CDC25B and subsequent inactivation of cell division cycle 2 (CDC2) and the serine/threonine kinase, AKT. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that WG-391D exhibits strong antitumor activity against ovarian cancer and indicates that the down-regulation of CDC25B by inhibitors could provide a rationale for ovarian cancer therapy.
Highlights
Ovarian cancer is one of the most common malignances in females
We found that cell division cycle 25B (CDC25B) was over-expressed in ovarian tumors compared with normal ovarian tissues
To confirm the over-expression of CDC25B in ovarian tumors, normalized CDC25B expression data from 902 ovarian tumor and 51 normal tissue samples were downloaded from the Gene Expression across Normal and Tumor tissue (GENT) online database [33]
Summary
Ovarian cancer is one of the most common malignances in females. The American Cancer Society estimated that there were 22,240 cases of ovarian cancer, and 14,070 deaths, in the United States in 2018 [1]. As an increasing number of mechanisms underlying ovarian carcinogenesis and progression are being uncovered, opportunities arise for the development of novel therapeutic drugs with which to improve patient survival by targeting specific cancer-associated molecules. Most anti-cancer therapies under clinical or preclinical development primarily target molecules which play critical roles in malignant transformation, including cancer cell proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and stress responses [4]. Anti-FR antibody and a folate-conjugated vinca alkaloid are the two main therapeutic strategies that have been included in clinical trials targeting FR [4]. These two strategies both failed in phase III clinical trials [4, 8]. Novel strategies against ovarian cancer are urgently needed to improve OS of patients
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
