6v4e

Publication Abstract from PubMed

p53 is a critical tumor-suppressor protein that guards the human genome against mutations by inducing cell-cycle arrest or apoptosis. Cancer cells subvert p53 by deletion, mutation, or overexpression of the negative regulators HDM2 and HDMX. For tumors that retain wild-type p53, its reactivation by pharmacologic targeting of HDM2 and/or HDMX represents a promising strategy, with a series of selective small-molecule HDM2 inhibitors and a dual HDM2/HDMX stapled-peptide inhibitor being evaluated in clinical trials. Because selective HDM2 targeting can cause hematologic toxicity, selective HDMX inhibitors could provide an alternative p53-reactivation strategy, but clinical candidates remain elusive. Here, we applied a mutation-scanning approach to uncover p53-based stapled peptides that are selective for HDMX. Crystal structures of stapled-peptide/HDMX complexes revealed a molecular mechanism for the observed specificity, which was validated by HDMX mutagenesis. Thus, we provide a blueprint for the development of HDMX-selective inhibitors to dissect and target the p53/HDMX interaction.

Identification of a Structural Determinant for Selective Targeting of HDMX.,Ben-Nun Y, Seo HS, Harvey EP, Hauseman ZJ, Wales TE, Newman CE, Cathcart AM, Engen JR, Dhe-Paganon S, Walensky LD Structure. 2020 Jul 7;28(7):847-857.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.str.2020.04.011. Epub 2020, Apr 30. PMID:32359398^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.