ro-3306 and Ovarian-Neoplasms

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological malignancy of the reproductive organs in the United States. Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) is an important cell cycle regulatory protein that specifically controls the G2/M phase transition of the cell cycle. RO-3306 is a selective, ATP-competitive, and cell-permeable CDK1 inhibitor that shows potent anti-tumor activity in multiple pre-clinical models. In this study, we investigated the effect of CDK1 expression on the prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer and the anti-tumorigenic effect of RO-3306 in both ovarian cancer cell lines and a genetically engineered mouse model of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (KpB model). In 147 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, the overexpression of CDK1 was significantly associated with poor prognosis compared with a low expression group. RO-3306 significantly inhibited cellular proliferation, induced apoptosis, caused cellular stress, and reduced cell migration. The treatment of KpB mice with RO-3306 for four weeks showed a significant decrease in tumor weight under obese and lean conditions without obvious side effects. Overall, our results demonstrate that the inhibition of CDK1 activity by RO-3306 effectively reduces cell proliferation and tumor growth, providing biological evidence for future clinical trials of CDK1 inhibitors in ovarian cancer.

Topics: Animals; Carcinogenesis; CDC2 Protein Kinase; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Female; Humans; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Ovarian Neoplasms

Cyclin dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) have previously reported correlation with cancer growth and a key regulator for cell cycle. Mostly, Cdk1's function of nucleus for cell cycle is well known to be associated with cancer, but cytoplasmic Cdk1's traits are not clearly identified, yet. We revealed that tissue microarray blocks of epithelial ovarian cancer (n = 249) showed increased level of cytoplasmic Cdk1 (p < 0.001), but not in nucleus (p = 0.192) of histologic cell type independently. On survival analysis, Cdk1 overexpression conferred a significantly worse prognosis in 5-year overall survival (Log-rank p = 0.028, Hazard ratio = 2.016, 95% CI = 1.097 to 4.635). Also, the expression of Cdk1 was increased in ovarian cancer cell lines and Gene Expression Omnibus datasets. When the expression and activity of Cdk1 were inhibited by si-Cdk1 or RO-3306 which is a potent Cdk1 inhibitor, the growth of ovarian cancer was diminished. Moreover, combined treatment with RO-3306 and cisplatin in ovarian cancer significantly elevated anti-cancer effects than single-agent treatment. In conclusion, cytoplasmic Cdk1 expression which was elevated in ovarian cancer predicts a poor overall survival. The inhibition of Cdk1 expression and activity reduced ovarian cancer growth.

Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; CDC2 Protein Kinase; Cell Line, Tumor; Cisplatin; Cytoplasm; Female; Gene Expression Profiling; Humans; Mice; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Transplantation; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Ovarian Neoplasms; Phosphorylation; Prognosis; Proportional Hazards Models; Quinolines; ROC Curve; Survival Rate; Thiazoles; Time Factors; Tissue Array Analysis; Treatment Outcome