The TEA domain (TEAD) transcription factor forms a transcription co-activation complex with the key downstream effector of the Hippo pathway, YAP/TAZ. TEAD-YAP controls the expression of Hippo-responsive genes involved in cell proliferation, development, and tumorigenesis. Hyperactivation of TEAD-YAP activities is observed in many human cancers and is associated with cancer cell proliferation, survival, and immune evasion. Therefore, targeting the TEAD-YAP complex has emerged as an attractive therapeutic approach. We previously reported that the mammalian TEAD transcription factors (TEAD1–4) possess auto-palmitoylation activities and contain an evolutionarily conserved palmitate-binding pocket (PBP), which allows small-molecule modulation. Since then, several reversible and irreversible inhibitors have been reported by binding to PBP. Here, we report a new class of TEAD inhibitors with a novel binding mode. Representative analog TM2 shows potent inhibition of TEAD auto-palmitoylation both in vitro and in cells. Surprisingly, the co-crystal structure of the human TEAD2 YAP-binding domain (YBD) in complex with TM2 reveals that TM2 adopts an unexpected binding mode by occupying not only the hydrophobic PBP, but also a new side binding pocket formed by hydrophilic residues. RNA-seq analysis shows that TM2 potently and specifically suppresses TEAD-YAP transcriptional activities. Consistently, TM2 exhibits strong antiproliferation effects as a single agent or in combination with a MEK inhibitor in YAP-dependent cancer cells. These findings establish TM2 as a promising small-molecule inhibitor against TEAD-YAP activities and provide new insights for designing novel TEAD inhibitors with enhanced selectivity and potency.
TEA结构域(TEAD)转录因子与Hippo通路的关键下游效应因子YAP/TAZ形成转录共激活复合物。TEAD-YAP 控制着涉及细胞增殖、发育和肿瘤发生的 Hippo 反应基因的表达。在许多人类癌症中都能观察到 TEAD-YAP 活性的过度激活,这与癌细胞的增殖、存活和免疫逃避有关。因此,靶向 TEAD-YAP 复合物已成为一种有吸引力的治疗方法。我们以前曾报道过哺乳动物 TEAD 转录因子(TEAD1-4)具有自身棕榈酰化活性,并含有一个进化保守的棕榈酸酯结合口袋(PBP),可进行小分子调控。从那时起,通过与 PBP 结合,一些可逆和不可逆的抑制剂被报道出来。在此,我们报告了一类具有新型结合模式的 TEAD 抑制剂。具有代表性的类似物 TM2 在体外和细胞中都显示出对 TEAD 自身棕榈酰化的强效抑制作用。令人惊讶的是,人类 TEAD2 YAP 结合域(YBD)与 TM2 复合物的共晶体结构显示,TM2 采用了一种意想不到的结合模式,它不仅占据了疏水的 PBP,还占据了一个由亲水残基形成的新的侧结合口袋。RNA-seq 分析表明,TM2 能有效且特异地抑制 TEAD-YAP 的转录活性。同样,TM2 作为单药或与 MEK 抑制剂联用,对依赖 YAP 的癌细胞具有很强的抗增殖作用。这些发现确立了 TM2 作为一种有前途的 TEAD-YAP 活性小分子抑制剂的地位,并为设计具有更高的选择性和效力的新型 TEAD 抑制剂提供了新的思路。