The cationic small molecule GW4869 is cytotoxic to high phosphatidylserine-expressing myeloma cells.

British journal of haematology 2017 May

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We have discovered that a small cationic molecule, GW4869, is cytotoxic to a subset of myeloma cell lines and primary myeloma plasma cells. Biochemical analysis revealed that GW4869 binds to anionic phospholipids such as phosphatidylserine - a lipid normally confined to the intracellular side of the cell membrane. However, interestingly, phosphatidylserine was expressed on the surface of all myeloma cell lines tested (n = 12) and 9/15 primary myeloma samples. Notably, the level of phosphatidylserine expression correlated well with sensitivity to GW4869. Inhibition of cell surface phosphatidylserine exposure with brefeldin A resulted in resistance to GW4869. Finally, GW4869 was shown to delay the growth of phosphatidylserine-high myeloma cells in vivo. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of using a small molecule to target phosphatidylserine on malignant cells. This study may provide the rationale for the development of phosphatidylserine-targeting small molecules for the treatment of surface phosphatidylserine-expressing cancers. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Citation

Slavica Vuckovic, Kate Vandyke, David A Rickards, Padraig McCauley Winter, Simon H J Brown, Todd W Mitchell, Jun Liu, Jun Lu, Philip W Askenase, Elizabeth Yuriev, Ben Capuano, Paul A Ramsland, Geoffrey R Hill, Andrew C W Zannettino, Andrew T Hutchinson. The cationic small molecule GW4869 is cytotoxic to high phosphatidylserine-expressing myeloma cells. British journal of haematology. 2017 May;177(3):423-440