Pevonedistat, a first-in-class NEDD8-activating enzyme inhibitor, sensitizes cancer cells to VSVA51 oncolytic virotherapy
Abstract
The clinical efficacy of VSVD51 oncolytic virotherapy has been limited by tumor resistance to viral infection, so strategies to transiently repress antiviral defenses are warranted. Pevonedistat is a first-in-class NEDD8-activating enzyme (NAE) inhibitor currently being tested in clinical trials for its antitumor potential. In this study, we demonstrate that pevonedistat sensitizes human and murine cancer cells to increase oncolytic VSVD51 infection, increase tumor cell death, and improve therapeutic outcomes in resistant syngeneic murine cancer models. Increased VSVD51 infectivity was also observed in clinical human tumor samples. We further identify the mechanism of this effect to operate via blockade of the type 1 interferon (IFN-1) response through neddylation-dependent interferon-stimulated growth factor 3 (ISGF3) repression and neddylation-independent inhibition of NF-KB nuclear translocation. Together, our results identify a role for neddylation in regulating the innate immune response and demonstrate that pevonedistat can improve the therapeutic outcomes of strategies using oncolytic virotherapy.