A novel IRAK4/PIM1 inhibitor ameliorates rheumatoid arthritis and lymphoid malignancy by blocking the TLR/MYD88-mediated NF-κB pathway

Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) is a pivotal enzyme in the Toll-like receptor (TLR)/MYD88 dependent signaling pathway, which is highly activated in rheumatoid arthritis tissues and activated B cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL). Inflammatory responses followed by IRAK4 activation promote B-cell proliferation and aggressiveness of lymphoma. Moreover, proviral integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus 1 (PIM1) functions as an anti-apoptotic kinase in propagation of ABC-DLBCL with ibrutinib resistance. We developed a dual IRAK4/PIM1 inhibitor KIC-0101 that potently suppresses the NF-κB pathway and proinflammatory cytokine induction in vitro and in vivo. In rheumatoid arthritis mouse models, treatment with KIC-0101 significantly ameliorated cartilage damage and inflammation. KIC-0101 inhibited the nuclear translocation of NF-κB and activation of JAK/STAT pathway in ABC-DLBCLs. In addition, KIC-0101 exhibited an anti-tumor effect on ibrutinib-resistant cells by synergistic dual suppression of TLR/MYD88-mediated NF-κB pathway and PIM1 kinase. Our results suggest that KIC-0101 is a promising drug candidate for autoimmune diseases and ibrutinib-resistant B-cell lymphomas.

Effect of Celastrol Based on IRAK4/ERK/p38 Signaling Pathway on Proliferation and Apoptosis of Multiple Myeloma Cells / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of celastrol on the proliferation and apoptosis of human multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines, reveal the relationship between IRAK4/ERK/p38 signaling pathway and celastrol regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of H929 and ARP-1 cells, and explore whether celastrol combined with bortezomib has synergistic effect. @*METHODS@#CCK-8 method was used to detect the viability of MM cell lines H929 and ARP-1 treated by different concentrations of celastrol, bortezomib, and their combination, and the synergistic effect was determined by Kim's formula. The apoptosis rate of H929 cells and necrosis rate of ARP-1 were detected by Annexin V/PI method. The expression of key proteins and apoptosis proteins in IRAK4/ERK/p38 signaling pathway were detected by Western blot. @*RESULTS@#Celastrol could significantly inhibit the proliferation of H929 and ARP-1 cells (r=0.9018, r=0.9244) and induce apoptosis in a time-dependent manner. Compared with the control group, celastrol could significantly up-regulate the expression of PARP and cleaved caspase-3 while down-regulate the expression of p-IRAK4, p-ERK, and p-p38 in H929 and ARP-1 cells. Celastrol and bortezomib alone inhibited the proliferation of H929 and ARP-1 cells. Compared with celastrol and bortezomib alone, their combination had lower cell survival rate and higher apoptosis rate (P<0.05). @*CONCLUSION@#Celastrol can inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of H929 and ARP-1 cells, which may be related to inhibiting the phosphorylation of IRAK4 and blocking the activation of IRAK4/ERK/p38 signaling pathway. Celastrol combined with bortezomib has synergistic effect, which can more effectively inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of H929 and ARP-1 cells.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of pyridine-based IRAK4 inhibitors / 中国药科大学学报

Based on the known IRAK4 inhibitors MK-32 and AU-5,we designed and synthesized 12 pyridine-based target compounds by adopting open-ring and hybrid strategies,and combining molecular docking technology.The bioassays determined by radioisotope labeling demonstrated that the target compounds displayed good inhibitory activity against IRAK4.Among them,the IC50 value of 5 compounds was less than 1 μmol/L,suggesting that these compounds may be candidates for further investigation.

Polymorphisms in the interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 gene are associated withsusceptibility to severe sepsis / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To investigate the possible association of IRAK4 polymorphisms with susceptibility to and prognosis of severe sepsis.Methods A total of 192 patients hospitalized in emergency department of Zhongshan Hospital from February 2006 to December 2009,and another 192 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this case-control study.Patients were excluded if they had metastatic tumors,autoimmune diseases,AIDS or received immunosuppressive drugs.This study was approved by the ethical committee of Zhongshan Hospital,Fudan University.Sepsis patients were divided into survival group(n =124)and non-survival group(n =68)according to the 30-day mortality.Primer 3 software was used to design the PCR and sequencing primers.Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells.Seven tagSNPs were selected based on the data of Chinese Han in Beijing from the Hapmap projectand genotyped by direct sequencing.We used x2 analysis to evaluate the significance of differences in genotype and allele frequencies between different groups.Results The distributions of all tagSNPs were consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.The allele and genotype frequencies of rs4251545(G/A)were significantly different between severe sepsis and healthy control groups(P =0.015,P =0.035,respectively).Carriers of the rs4251545A had a higher risk for severe sepsis compared with carriers of the rs4251545G(OR =1.69,95％ CI:1.10-2.58).The allele and genotype frequencies of all SNPs were not significantly different between survivor group and non-survivor group.Conclusions These findings indicated that the variants in IRAK4 are significantly associated with severe sepsis susceptibility in the Chinese Han population.

Association of genetic variants in the IRAK-4 gene with susceptibility to severe sepsis / 世界急诊医学杂志（英文）

BACKGROUND: The association of genetic variation in the IRAK-1 gene with sepsis outcome has been proved. However, few studies have addressed the impact of the IRAK-4 gene variants on sepsis risk. This study aimed to determine whether the polymorphisms in the IRAK-4 gene are associated with susceptibility to and prognosis of severe sepsis in the Chinese Han ethnic population.METHODS: In this case-control study, 192 patients with severe sepsis hospitalized in the emergency department of Zhongshan Hospital from February 2006 to December 2009 and 192 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Exclusion criteria included metastatic tumors, autoimmune diseases, AIDS or treatment with immunosuppressive drugs. This study was approved by the ethical committee of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University. Sepsis patients were divided into a survival group (n=124) and a non-survival group (n=68) according to the 30-day mortality. Primer 3 software was used to design PCR and sequencing primers. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Seven tagSNPs in IRAK-4 were selected according to the data of the Chinese Han population in Beijing from the Hapmap project and genotyped by direct sequencing. The chi-square test was used to evaluate the differences in genotype and allele frequencies between the two groups.RESULTS: The distributions of all tagSNPs were consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The allele and genotype frequencies of rs4251545 (G/A) were significantly different between the severe sepsis and healthy control groups (P=0.015, P=0.035, respectively). Carriers of the rs4251545A had a higher risk for severe sepsis compared with carriers of the rs4251545G (OR=1.69, 95％ CI: 1.10-2.58). The allele and genotype frequencies of all SNPs were not significantly different between the survival group and non-survival group.CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that the variants in IRAK-4 are significantly associated with susceptibility to severe sepsis in the Chinese Han ethnic population.