thiostrepton (RSO-021)

Emerging evidence supports synergistic potential of new-generation PLK1 inhibitors, such as Onvansertib, with chemo- and immune-therapies. This mini-review and perspective present current insights on PLK1 overexpression and its mechanistic impact on cancer aggressiveness and therapy resistance. We highlight the need for refined patient stratification and innovative combination regimens to exploit PLK1 inhibition in cancer treatment.

In MCL cell lines, inhibition of FOXM1 using thiostrepton or shRNA effectively triggered apoptosis and significantly reduced cell growth...Confocal microscopy revealed that FOXM1 and p65 colocalize with each other. In conclusion, FOXM1 and NFκB work collaboratively in promoting the growth and drug resistance of MCL, and FOXM1 may be a potentially useful therapeutic target.

Furthermore, combined pharmacological inhibition of FOXM1 (FDI-6, RCM-1, thiostrepton) and BUB1 (BAY-1816032) synergistically inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells and xenograft tumors. These findings establish FOXM1-mediated BUB1 upregulation as a key driver of HCC malignancy. Targeting the FOXM1/BUB1 axis represents a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of advanced and metastatic HCC, offering new opportunities for HCC therapy.

Notably, the small-molecule compound thiostrepton significantly inhibits ETV4 K97-Khib, thereby promoting ferroptosis and suppressing ICC cell migration, invasion, and lung metastasis. Together, our study reveals a novel ETV4 Khib-driven mechanism underlying ferroptosis suppression and malignant progression in ICC, and highlights ETV4 Khib as a potential therapeutic target in cholangiocarcinoma.

Moreover, thiostrepton treatment sensitized the CTCL cells to proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, promoting apoptosis and autophagy. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that FOXM1 targeting disrupts the metabolic status and stemness features of CTCL cells via JNK activation, thereby offering novel insights into potential therapeutic strategies for overcoming therapeutic challenges in CTCL.

Functional experiments revealed that the cancer-inhibitory effect of thiostrepton is reduced in the absence of DAB2IP, suggesting that upregulation of this protein contributes to its action. These findings encourage further development of thiostrepton for the treatment of solid cancers and unveil a novel molecular target underlying its anti-tumoral activity.

These effects are conserved in human T cells, as thiostrepton also inhibits the differentiation of human Tregs. Our findings highlight thiostrepton as a promising Treg-targeting immunomodulatory compound with the potential to enhance antitumor immune responses.

Furthermore, we have unlinked the high ROS (reactive oxygen species) induction reported in earlier in vitro studies from apoptosis induction upon thiostrepton treatment in C. elegans. Overall, our genetic data indicate that apoptosis induction mediated by thiostrepton occurs at the level of the core apoptotic machinery.

These findings suggest that FOXM1 inhibition could be particularly effective in patients with high KPNA2 expression, offering a novel therapeutic strategy for this specific molecular subtype. Several FOXM1 inhibitors, including thiostrepton and FDI-6, warrant investigation as potential targeted treatments for KPNA2-high HR+HER2- breast cancer patients.

Overall, our results indicate that FOXM1 can serve as a novel target for ICC immunotherapy. By targeting FOXM1, TST exerts "dual anti-tumor" effects and has the potential to become a promising immunotherapy agent for ICC patients.

Thiostrepton-related changes in cell survival and cell migration, as well as mechanistical processes, were almost completely reversed by treatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC), suggesting that the mechanism is dependent on reactive oxygen species (ROS). These results demonstrated that thiostrepton induced apoptosis and inhibited migration through ROS-induced ER stress and proteotoxic stress in colorectal cancer.

Inhibiting FOXM1 pharmacologically with thiostrepton produced tumor-suppressive effects and improved immunotherapy responses in a Lewis lung carcinoma mouse model. The senescence-related signature demonstrates potential in predicting patient prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy in LUAD.