UNC2025

We used known compound UNC2025 as positive control and one million compounds was retrieved from different databases (OTAVA, ZINC, ChEMBL) and docked with MERTK protein...The study finds critical residues which serve a vital part in binding with the inhibitor and the active site of the MERTK protein, i.e., Phe598, Gly599, Lys619, Arg629, Glu633, Glu637, Arg722, Asp723, Arg727, Asp741, Gly743, Leu744, Lys746, Arg758, Ala760, and Lys761 through decomposed binding free energy analysis. This study focuses on the pursuit of several MERTK protein targets, which could have consequences for the development of novel therapeutics for various cancers.

Lastly, UNC2025-PMAM NPs significantly reduced tumor volume compared to free UNC2025, showing greater therapeutic efficacy in a model of triple-negative breast cancer. These glycopolymer-based, efferocytosis-blocking NPs have promise both as a class of standalone cancer immunotherapy and as an adjuvant to improve response rates to checkpoint immunotherapy.

Targeted knockdown of MerTK or application of UNC2025, a small inhibitor of MerTK, can inhibit DLBCL cell proliferation, promote apoptosis, and inhibit G2/M phase arrest...Therefore, MerTK is ectopically expressed in DLBCL, and targeted inhibition of MerTK suppresses the growth of DLBCL in vitro and in vivo. This study provides clues for precision therapy for DLBCLs that target MerTK.

Silencing MERTK interrupted efferocytosis, a phenomenon also observed with the inhibition of MERTK phosphorylation by UNC2025, which concurrently suppressed anti-inflammatory cytokine production. These findings suggest that targeting the MERTK-ADAM17 axis could enhance inflammatory resolution, providing a novel therapeutic strategy for dairy cattle health management.

UNC2025 was effective in both tumour types with superior efficacy over BGB324. Finally, we found that TAMs are expressed by tumour-associated macrophages in meningioma and schwannoma tumours and that UNC2025 strongly depleted macrophages in both tumour types.

Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of either JAK1 by filgotinib or TAM kinases by UNC2025 sensitizes Ewing sarcoma to chemotherapy in vitro and in vivo. Excitingly, the TAM kinase inhibitor MRX-2843 currently in human clinical trials to treat AML and advanced solid tumors, enhances chemotherapy efficacy to further suppress Ewing sarcoma tumor growth in vivo. Our findings reveal an Ewing sarcoma chemoresistance mechanism with an immediate translational value.

Our findings demonstrate the potential value of MerTK as a prognostic biomarker for gastric adenocarcinoma. Targeting MerTK may become a new treatment option, especially for patients with advanced tumors, and may overcome resistance to established chemotherapies.

Furthermore, transcriptional profiles of macrophages indicated robust pro-inflammatory reprogramming (elevated Nos2 and Il12; suppressed Arg1 and Mrc1 expression levels) for a subset of these immuno-stimulatory agents (UNC2025 and R848)...Finally, in an intradermal MC38 tumor model, cyclodextrin-modified macrin NPs loaded with immunostimulatory drugs significantly reduced tumor growth. Therefore, efficient and effective repolarization of tumor-associated macrophages to an M1-like phenotype-via drug-loaded macrins-inhibits tumor growth and may be useful as an adjuvant to existing immune checkpoint therapies.

We found that combination therapy using the MER tyrosine kinase (MERTK) inhibitor UNC2025 and the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA) effectively decreased meningioma spheroid viability and proliferation. Furthermore, we demonstrated this combination therapy significantly increased the expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin and had a repressive effect on WHO grade 2-derived spheroid invasion, which is suggestive of a partial reversal of EMT in meningioma spheroids.

Arid3a promotes cholestatic liver injury by impairing Mertk-mediated efferocytosis of apoptotic cholangiocytes by macrophages during cholestasis. The Arid3a-Mertk axis is a promising novel therapeutic target for cholestatic liver diseases.