Discovery of a molecular glue promoting CDK12-DDB1 interaction to trigger cyclin K degradation

L Lv, P Chen, L Cao, Y Li, Z Zeng, Y Cui, Q Wu, J Li… - Elife, 2020 - elifesciences.org
L Lv, P Chen, L Cao, Y Li, Z Zeng, Y Cui, Q Wu, J Li, JH Wang, MQ Dong, X Qi, T Han
Elife, 2020elifesciences.org
Molecular-glue degraders mediate interactions between target proteins and components of
the ubiquitin-proteasome system to cause selective protein degradation. Here, we report a
new molecular glue HQ461 discovered by high-throughput screening. Using loss-of-function
and gain-of-function genetic screening in human cancer cells followed by biochemical
reconstitution, we show that HQ461 acts by promoting an interaction between CDK12 and
DDB1-CUL4-RBX1 E3 ubiquitin ligase, leading to polyubiquitination and degradation of …
Molecular-glue degraders mediate interactions between target proteins and components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system to cause selective protein degradation. Here, we report a new molecular glue HQ461 discovered by high-throughput screening. Using loss-of-function and gain-of-function genetic screening in human cancer cells followed by biochemical reconstitution, we show that HQ461 acts by promoting an interaction between CDK12 and DDB1-CUL4-RBX1 E3 ubiquitin ligase, leading to polyubiquitination and degradation of CDK12-interacting protein Cyclin K (CCNK). Degradation of CCNK mediated by HQ461 compromised CDK12 function, leading to reduced phosphorylation of a CDK12 substrate, downregulation of DNA damage response genes, and cell death. Structure-activity relationship analysis of HQ461 revealed the importance of a 5-methylthiazol-2-amine pharmacophore and resulted in an HQ461 derivate with improved potency. Our studies reveal a new molecular glue that recruits its target protein directly to DDB1 to bypass the requirement of a substrate-specific receptor, presenting a new strategy for targeted protein degradation.
eLife