Destruction of DNA-Binding Proteins by Programmable Oligonucleotide PROTAC (O'PROTAC): Effective Targeting of LEF1 and ERG

DNA-binding proteins, including transcription factors (TFs), play essential roles in various cellular processes and pathogenesis of diseases, deeming to be potential therapeutic targets. However, these proteins are generally considered undruggable as they lack an enzymatic catalytic site or a ligand-binding pocket. Proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology has been developed by engineering a bifunctional molecule chimera to bring a protein of interest (POI) to the proximity of an E3 ubiquitin ligase, thus inducing the ubiquitination of POI and further degradation through the proteasome pathway. Here, the development of oligonucleotide-based PROTAC (O'PROTACs), a class of noncanonical PROTACs in which a TF-recognizing double-stranded oligonucleotide is incorporated as a binding moiety of POI is reported. It is demonstrated that O'PROTACs of lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1) and ETS-related gene (ERG), two highly cancer-related transcription factors, successfully promote degradation of these proteins, impede their transcriptional activity, and inhibit cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. The programmable nature of O'PROTACs indicates that this approach is also applicable to destruct other TFs. O'PROTACs not only can serve as a research tool but also can be harnessed as a therapeutic arsenal to target DNA binding proteins for effective treatment of diseases such as cancer.

Automated summary

DNA-binding proteins, such as transcription factors (TFs), are crucial in cellular processes and disease pathogenesis, but are difficult to target therapeutically due to their lack of enzymatic catalytic sites. PROTAC technology involves engineering bifunctional molecules to induce degradation of target proteins through ubiquitination. O'PROTACs, which incorporate a TF-recognizing double-stranded oligonucleotide, have been shown to effectively degrade cancer-related transcription factors like LEF1 and ERG, inhibiting cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. These programmable O'PROTACs show promise as a tool for targeting various TFs for disease treatment.