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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.02.10.705084

CDK9 pharmacological inhibition with PRT2527 has antitumor activity in marginal zone lymphoma models and can improve the effects of BTK, PI3K, and BCL2 inhibitors

Cannas, E.·Arribas, A. J.·Cascione, L.·Guidetti, F.·Rinaldi, A.·Rossi, D.·Stathis, A.·Heiser, D.·Bertoni, F.
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Abstract

Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) drives transcriptional elongation and supports the expression of short-lived oncogenic and anti-apoptotic proteins such as MYC and MCL1. PRT2527 is a potent, selective CDK9 inhibitor currently in early clinical development. We evaluated its preclinical activity in marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) models, including cell lines with acquired resistance to BTK, PI3K, and BCL2 inhibitors. Short exposure (4 hours) to PRT2527 produced nanomolar cytotoxicity across all tested MZL cell lines, with efficacy maintained in resistant derivatives. Transcriptomic profiling of VL51 cells showed broad gene repression, including MYC, IRF4, NF-{kappa}B-related genes, and MCL1, alongside increased expression of HLA class II genes. Moreover, comparison with additional CDK inhibitors revealed a similar transcriptional repression signature, underscoring a conserved CDK-dependent regulatory network. Protein analyses confirmed rapid depletion of MCL1, MYC, RNA polymerase II, and IRF4. Flow cytometry validated increased HLA class II and decreased HLA class I surface expression. Combination studies demonstrated additive to synergistic effects with BTK inhibition (ibrutinib) or dual PI3K/BCL2 inhibition (copanlisib plus venetoclax), independent of baseline drug sensitivity. Mechanistically, these combinations may enhance apoptosis by concurrently suppressing survival signaling and transcriptional addiction. Analysis of patient samples revealed high CDK9 expression, further supporting the biological relevance and therapeutic rationale for targeting CDK9 in this disease. Our findings support the development of CDK9-based combination strategies for relapsed/refractory MZL and other B-cell malignancies, with an additional potential for integration with immunotherapies. Key PointsO_LICDK9 inhibitor PRT2527 kills marginal zone lymphoma cells, regardless of whether they are resistant to other targeted drugs. C_LIO_LIPRT2527 boosts the effects of BTK, PI3K, and BCL2 inhibitors and alters immune-related gene expression. C_LI Draft of graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=141 SRC="FIGDIR/small/705084v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (33K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@37b9e6org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@8de6a5org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@219771org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@15dabfe_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

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Cannas, E., Arribas, A. J., Cascione, L., Guidetti, F., Rinaldi, A., Rossi, D., Stathis, A., Heiser, D., Bertoni, F.. 2026-02-11. CDK9 pharmacological inhibition with PRT2527 has antitumor activity in marginal zone lymphoma models and can improve the effects of BTK, PI3K, and BCL2 inhibitors. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.10.705084

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