title: The soluble wnt receptor Frizzled8CRD-hFc inhibits the growth of teratocarcinomas in vivo.
abstract: Wnt signaling is important for normal cell proliferation and differentiation, and mutations in pathway components are associated with human cancers. Recent studies suggest that altered wnt ligand/receptor interactions might also contribute to human tumorigenesis. Therefore, agents that antagonize wnt signaling at the extracellular level would be attractive therapeutics for these cancers. We have generated a soluble wnt receptor comprising the Frizzled8 cysteine-rich domain (CRD) fused to the human Fc domain (F8CRDhFc) that exhibits favorable pharmacologic properties in vivo. Potent antitumor efficacy was shown using the mouse mammary tumor virus-Wnt1 tumor model under dosing conditions that did not produce detectable toxicity in regenerating tissue compartments. In vitro, F8CRDhFc inhibited autocrine wnt signaling in the teratoma cell lines PA-1, NTera-2, Tera-2, and NCCIT. In vivo, systemic administration of F8CRDhFc significantly retarded the growth of tumor xenografts derived from two of these cell lines, PA-1 and NTera-2. Pharmacodynamic markers of wnt signaling, identified by gene expression analysis of cultured teratoma cells, were also modulated in the tumor xenografts following treatment with F8CRDhFc. Additionally, these markers could be used as indicators of treatment efficacy and might also be useful in identifying patients that would benefit from the therapeutic agent. This is the first report showing the efficacy of a soluble wnt receptor as an antitumor agent and suggests that further development of wnt antagonists will have utility in treating human cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Pathways, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, California 94080, USA.
authors.forename: Venita I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: DeAlmeida
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.forename: Hartmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koeppen
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Polakis
authors.forename: Bonnee
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rubinfeld
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D048708:Cell Growth Processes; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003545:Cysteine / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007141:Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018243:Teratocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014162:Transfection; D051155:Wnt1 Protein / Q000235:genetics; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D003545:Cysteine; D007141:Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D051155:Wnt1 Protein; C511610:Fzd8 protein, mouse