Targeting the BAG-1 family of co-chaperones in lethal prostate cancer.
Therapies that abrogate persistent androgen receptor (AR) signaling in castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remain an unmet clinical need. The N-terminal domain (NTD) of the AR drives transcriptional activity in CRPC but is intrinsically disordered and remains a challenging therapeutic target. Therefore, inhibiting critical co-chaperones, such as BAG-1L, is an attractive alternative strategy. We performed druggability analyses demonstrating the BAG domain to be a challenging drug target. Thio-2, a tool compound, has been reported to bind the BAG domain of BAG-1L and inhibit BAG-1L-mediated AR transactivation. However, despite these data, the mechanism of action of Thio-2 is poorly understood and the BAG domain which is present in all BAG-1 isoforms has not been validated as a therapeutic target. Herein, we demonstrate growth inhibiting activity of Thio-2 in CRPC cell lines and patient derived models with decreased AR genomic binding and AR signaling independent of BAG-1 isoform function. Furthermore, genomic abrogation of BAG-1 isoforms did not recapitulate the described Thio-2 phenotype, and NMR studies suggest that Thio-2 may bind the AR NTD, uncovering a potential alternative mechanism of action, although in the context of low compound solubility. Furthermore, BAG-1 isoform knockout mice are viable and fertile, in contrast to previous studies, and when crossed with prostate cancer mouse models, BAG-1 deletion does not significantly impact prostate cancer development and growth. Overall, these data demonstrate that Thio-2 inhibits AR signaling and growth in CRPC independent of BAG-1 isoforms, and unlike previous studies of the activated AR, therapeutic targeting of the BAG domain requires further validation before being considered a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of CRPC.