GSE172442
CDK7 inhibition interdicts deregulated transcription and cell cycle control in multiple myeloma [Resistant_MM_Cell_Lines_6Hr_RNA-seq]
Cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) are high value therapeutical targets owing to their important roles in regulating transcription and the cell cycle — two pathways commonly altered in cancer and especially in multiple myeloma (MM). Among CDKs, CDK7 uniquely bridges cell cycle and transcriptional control by activating other cell cycle CDKs and forming the general transcription factor TFIIH. Utilizing a recently developed highly selective covalent inhibitor of CDK7, we demonstrate that CDK7 inhibition elicits a strong therapeutic response in MM blocking proliferation in vitro and driving tumor regression and prolonged survival in vivo. CDK7 inhibition counteracts molecular hallmarks of deregulated cell cycle control at the G1/S checkpoint. Additionally, we show CDK7 inhibition selectively downregulates oncogenic E2F and cell cycle gene expression programs. Combination treatment with JQ1 which target oncogenic enhancer driven gene expression programs proved highly synergistic. These results support CDK7 as an attractive and therapeutically actionable molecular vulnerability in MM. Cell count normalized RNA-seq in Resistant MM cell lines (XG1 and AMO1; 18 total samples; 3 technical replicates) upon treatment with the selective covalent CDK7 inhibitor YKL-5-124 Mariateresa,Fulciniti Nikhil,Munshi Overall design: Charles,Y,Lin