GSE122143
Separating DNA from chromatin damage activities detoxifies the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin
The anthracycline doxorubicin (Doxo) is one of the most effective and commonly used anti-cancer drugs. However, its clinical application is limited by severe side effects, such as cardiotoxicity, therapy-related tumors and infertility. Doxo induces both DNA damage through double-strand breaks and chromatin damage through histone eviction. We examined whether separating these activities would detoxify Doxo, while maintaining its chemotherapeutic efficacy. Here we present anthracycline variants harboring the histone eviction activity alone which remain potent anti-cancer drugs, while greatly alleviating cardiotoxicity and therapy-related tumor formation. This suggests that the treatment-limited side effects of Doxo in mice can be strongly reduced by modifying the chemical structure. The modified anthracycline anti-cancer drugs may provide effective chemotherapeutics allowing prolonged treatment and a higher quality of life post-treatment. Overall design: Comparison of ATAC-seq signal for several anticancer drugs