In the present work, a selective and potent ATR degrader was identified which was used as probe for explore the kinase-independent function of ATR. The results showed that ATR kinase inhibitor induced cell cycle arrest and inhibited the growth of AML cells. The ATR degrader was inclined to trigger immediate apoptosis in AML cells. A plausible explanation for this phenomenon is that ATR deletion induced nuclear envelope rupture, leading to genome instability, irreparable DNA damage. It causes to upregulate the level of p53 and subsequently triggers p53-mediated cell apoptosis. Abstract ATR has emerged as a promising target for anti-cancer drug development. Several potent ATR inhibitors are currently undergoing various stages of clinical trials, but none have yet received FDA approval due to unclear regulatory mechanisms. In this study, we discovered a potent and selective ATR degrader. Its kinase-independent regulatory functions in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells were elucidated using this proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) molecule as a probe. The ATR degrader, 8 i, exhibited significantly different cellular phenotypes compared to the ATR kinase inhibitor 1. Mechanistic studies revealed that ATR deletion led to breakdown in the nuclear envelope, causing genome instability and extensive DNA damage. This would increase the expression of p53 and triggered immediately p53-mediated apoptosis signaling pathway, which was earlier and more effective than ATR kinase inhibition. Based on these findings, the in vivo anti-proliferative effects of ATR degrader 8 i were assessed using xenograft models. The degrader significantly inhibited the growth of AML cells in vivo, unlike the ATR inhibitor. These results suggest that the marked anti-AML activity is regulated by the kinase-independent functions of the ATR protein. Consequently, developing potent and selective ATR degraders could be a promising strategy for treating AML.
Published in: "Angewandte Chemie International Edition".