Targeting the β-catenin/TCF transcriptional complex in the treatment of multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an invariably fatal form of cancer characterized by clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. The canonical Writ signaling pathway is activated in MM cells through constitutively active beta-catenin, a messenger molecule relevant to growth, survival, and migration of MM cells. The identification of a number of small molecular compounds, such as PKF115-584, which disrupt the interaction of the transcriptionally active beta-catenin/TCF protein complex, provides valuable new therapeutic tools to target an alternative pathway in MM independent of the proteasome. Here we evaluated the transcriptional, proteomic, signaling changes, and biological sequelae associated with the inhibition of Writ signaling in MM by PKF115-584. The compound blocks expression of Writ target genes and induces cytotoxicity in both patient MM cells and MM cell lines without a significant effect in normal plasma cells. In xenograft models of human MM, PKF115-584 inhibits tumor growth and prolongs survival. Taken together, these data demonstrate the efficacy of disrupting the beta-catenin/TCF transcriptional complex to exploit tumor dependence on Writ signaling as a therapeutic approach in the treatment of MM.