Evaluating the Mechanism and Therapeutic Potential of PTC-028, a Novel Inhibitor of BMI-1 Function in Ovarian Cancer

BMI-1, also known as a stem cell factor, is frequently upregulated in several malignancies. Elevated expression of BMI-1 correlates with poor prognosis and is therefore considered a viable therapeutic target in a number of malignancies including ovarian Cancer. Realizing the immense pathologic significance of BMI-1, small-molecule inhibitors against BMI-1 are recently being developed. In this study, we functionally characterize PTC-028, an orally bioavailable compound that decreases BMI-1 levels by posttranslational modification. We report that PTC-028 treatment selectively inhibits Cancer cells in clonal growth and viability assays, whereas normal cells remain unaffected. Mechanistically, hyperphosphorylation-mediated depletion of cellular BMI-1 by PTC-028 coupled with a concurrent temporal decrease in ATP and a compromised mitochondrial redox balance potentiates caspase-dependent Apoptosis. In vivo, orally administered PTC-028, as a single agent, exhibits significant antitumor activity comparable with the standard cisplatin/paclitaxel therapy in an orthotopic mouse model of ovarian Cancer. Thus, PTC-028 has the potential to be used as an effective therapeutic agent in patients with epithelial ovarian Cancer, where treatment options are limited. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(1); 39-49. ©2017 AACR.