Ripretinib (DCC-2618) was designed to inhibit the full spectrum of mutant KIT and PDGFRA kinases found in cancers and myeloproliferative neoplasms, particularly in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), in which the heterogeneity of drug-resistant KIT mutations is a major challenge. Ripretinib is a ''switch-control'' kinase inhibitor that forces the activation loop (or activation ''switch'') into an inactive conformation. Ripretinib inhibits all tested KIT and PDGFRA mutants, and notably is a type II kinase inhibitor demonstrated to broadly inhibit activation loop mutations in KIT and PDGFRA, previously thought only achievable with type I inhibitors. Ripretinib shows efficacy in preclinical cancer models, and preliminary clinical data provide proof-of-concept that ripretinib inhibits a wide range of KIT mutants in patients with drug-resistant GISTs.

Tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells promote tumor progression by mediating angiogenesis, tumor cell intravasation and metastasis, which can offset the effects of chemotherapy, radiation, and anti-angiogenic therapy. Here, we show that the kinase switch control inhibitor rebastinib inhibits Tie2, a tyrosine kinase receptor expressed on endothelial cells and pro-tumoral Tie2-expressing macrophages in mouse models of metastatic cancer. Rebastinib reduces tumor growth and metastasis in an orthotopic mouse model of metastatic mammary carcinoma through reduction of Tie2+ myeloid cell infiltration, anti-angiogenic effects, and blockade of tumor cell intravasation mediated by perivascular Tie2Hi/Vegf-AHi macrophages in the tumor microenvironment of metastasis (TMEM). The anti-tumor effects of rebastinib enhance the efficacy of microtubule inhibiting chemotherapeutic agents, either eribulin or paclitaxel, by reducing tumor volume, metastasis, and improving overall survival. Rebastinib inhibition of angiopoietin/Tie2 signaling impairs multiple pathways in tumor progression mediated by pro-tumoral Tie2+ macrophages, including TMEM-dependent dissemination and angiopoietin/Tie2-dependent angiogenesis. Rebastinib is a promising therapy for achieving Tie2 inhibition in cancer patients.

PIASy is a small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) ligase that modifies chromosomal proteins in mitotic Xenopus egg extracts and plays an essential role in mitotic chromosome segregation. We have isolated a novel SUMO-2/3-modified mitotic chromosomal protein and identified it as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1). PARP1 was robustly conjugated to SUMO-2/3 on mitotic chromosomes but not on interphase chromatin. PIASy promotes SUMOylation of PARP1 both in egg extracts and in vitro reconstituted SUMOylation assays. Through tandem mass spectrometry analysis of mitotically SUMOylated PARP1, we identified a residue within the BRCA1 C-terminal domain of PARP1 (lysine 482) as its primary SUMOylation site. Mutation of this residue significantly reduced PARP1 SUMOylation in egg extracts and enhanced the accumulation of species derived from modification of secondary lysine residues in assays using purified components. SUMOylation of PARP1 did not alter in vitro PARP1 enzyme activity, poly-ADP-ribosylation (PARylation), nor did inhibition of SUMOylation of PARP1 alter the accumulation of PARP1 on mitotic chromosomes, suggesting that SUMOylation regulates neither the intrinsic activity of PARP1 nor its localization. However, loss of SUMOylation increased PARP1-dependent PARylation on isolated chromosomes, indicating SUMOylation controls the capacity of PARP1 to modify other chromatin-associated proteins.

The chromatin remodeler ISWI is capable of repositioning clusters of nucleosomes to create well-ordered arrays or moving single nucleosomes from the center of DNA fragments toward the ends without disrupting their integrity. Using standard electrophoresis assays, we have monitored the ISWI-catalyzed repositioning of different nucleosome samples each containing a different length of DNA symmetrically flanking the initially centrally positioned histone octamer. We find that ISWI moves the histone octamer between distinct and thermodynamically stable positions on the DNA according to a random walk mechanism. Through the application of a spectrophotometric assay for nucleosome repositioning, we further characterized the repositioning activity of ISWI using short nucleosome substrates and were able to determine the macroscopic rate of nucleosome repositioning by ISWI. Additionally, quantitative analysis of repositioning experiments performed at various ISWI concentrations revealed that a monomeric ISWI is sufficient to obtain the observed repositioning activity as the presence of a second ISWI bound had no effect on the rate of nucleosome repositioning. We also found that ATP hydrolysis is poorly coupled to nucleosome repositioning, suggesting that DNA translocation by ISWI is not energetically rate-limiting for the repositioning reaction. This is the first calculation of a microscopic ATPase coupling efficiency for nucleosome repositioning and also further supports our conclusion that a second bound ISWI does not contribute to the repositioning reaction.

The regulation of chromatin structure is controlled by a family of molecular motors called chromatin remodelers. The ability of these enzymes to remodel chromatin structure is dependent on their ability to couple ATP binding and hydrolysis into the mechanical work that drives nucleosome repositioning. The necessary first step in determining how these essential enzymes perform this function is to characterize both how they bind nucleosomes and how this interaction is regulated by ATP binding and hydrolysis. With this goal in mind, we monitored the interaction of the chromatin remodeler ISWI with fluorophore-labeled nucleosomes and DNA through associated changes in fluorescence anisotropy of the fluorophore upon binding of ISWI to these substrates. We determined that one ISWI molecule binds to a 20 bp double-stranded DNA substrate with an affinity of 18 ± 2 nM. In contrast, two ISWI molecules can bind to the core nucleosome with short linker DNA with stoichiometric macroscopic equilibrium constants: 1/β1 = 1.3 ± 0.6 nM, and 1/β2 = 13 ± 7 nM2. Furthermore, to improve our understanding of the mechanism of DNA translocation by ISWI, and hence nucleosome repositioning, we determined the effect of nucleotide analogues on substrate binding by ISWI. While the affinity of ISWI for the nucleosome substrate with short lengths of flanking DNA was not affected by the presence of nucleotides, the affinity of ISWI for the DNA substrate is weakened in the presence of nonhydrolyzable ATP analogues but not by ADP.