Molecular glue degrader function of SPOP inhibitors enhances STING-dependent immunotherapy efficacy in melanoma models

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Abstract

The E3 ligase SPOP plays a context-dependent role in cancer by targeting specific cellular proteins for degradation, thereby influencing cell behavior. However, its role in tumor immunity remains largely unexplored. In this study, we revealed that SPOP targeted the innate immune sensor STING for degradation in a CK1γ phosphorylation-dependent manner to promote melanoma growth. Stabilization of STING by escaping SPOP-mediated degradation enhanced antitumor immunity by increasing IFN-β production and ISG expression. Notably, small-molecule SPOP inhibitors not only blocked STING recognition by SPOP, but also acted as molecular glues, redirecting SPOP to target neosubstrates such as CBX4 for degradation. This CBX4 degradation led to increased DNA damage, which in turn activated STING and amplified innate immune responses. In a xenografted melanoma B16 tumor model, single-cell RNA-seq analysis demonstrated that SPOP inhibition induced the infiltration of immune cells associated with anti–PD-1 responses. Consequently, SPOP inhibitors synergized with immune checkpoint blockade to suppress B16 tumor growth in syngeneic murine models and enhanced the efficacy of CAR.CD19-T cell therapy. Our findings highlight a molecular glue degrader property of SPOP inhibitors, with potential implications for other E3 ligase–targeting small molecules designed to disrupt protein–protein interactions.

Authors

Zhichuan Zhu, Xin Zhou, Max Xu, Jianfeng Chen, Kevin C. Robertson, Gatphan Atassi, Mark G. Woodcock, Allie C. Mills, Laura E. Herring, Gianpietro Dotti, Pengda Liu