Dual-Acting Peptides Target EZH2 and AR: A New Paradigm for Effective Treatment of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Prostate cancer starts as a treatable hormone-dependent disease, but often ends in a drug-resistant form called castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Despite the development of the anti-androgens Enzalutamide and Abiraterone for CRPC, which target the Androgen Receptor (AR), drug resistance usually develops within 6 months and metastatic CRPC (mCRPC) leads to lethality. EZH2, found with SUZ12, EED, and RbAP48 in Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), has emerged as an alternative target for the treatment of deadly mCRPC. Unfortunately, drugs targeting EZH2 have shown limited efficacy in mCRPC. To address these failures, we have developed novel, dual-acting peptide inhibitors of PRC2 that uniquely target the SUZ12 protein component, resulting in the inhibition of both PRC2 canonical and noncanonical functions in prostate cancer. These peptides were found to inhibit not only the EZH2 methylation activity, but also block its positive effect on AR gene expression in prostate cancer cells. Since the peptide effect on AR levels is transcriptional, the inhibitory peptides can block the expression of both full-length AR and its splicing variants, including AR-V7 that plays a significant role in the development of drug resistance. This dual mode action provides the peptides with the capability to kill Enzalutamide-resistant CRPC cells. These peptides are also more cytotoxic to prostate cancer cells than the combination of Enzalutamide and an EZH2 inhibitory drug, which was recently suggested to be an effective treatment of mCRPC disease. Our data show that such a dual-acting therapeutic approach can be more effective than the existing front-line drug therapies for treating deadly mCRPC.