A highly selective and orally bioavailable casein kinase 1 alpha degrader through p53 signaling pathway targets B-cell lymphoma cells

Abstract

The modest reduction in casein kinase 1 alpha (CK1α) by lenalidomide contributes to its clinical effectiveness in treating del(5q) myelodysplastic syndrome. However, the mechanism by which CK1α impacts lymphoma survival remains inadequately defined. We developed INNO-220, a CRBN-dependent CK1α degrader, by leveraging cytokine expression profiling in T cells. Unlike lenalidomide, INNO-220 is a highly selective and potent degrader of CK1α without affecting IKZF1/3. Screening across lymphoma cell lines revealed that cells harboring wild-type p53 and exhibiting constitutive NF-κB signaling were particularly sensitive to CK1α degradation yet resistant to Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Moreover, INNO-220 suppresses NF-κB signaling and activates p53 pathway, leading to complete inhibition of lymphoma tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, INNO-220 disrupts the assembly and function of the CARD11/BCL10/MALT1 complex, thereby inhibiting NF-κB signaling in stimulated T cells and lymphoma cells that harbor an activating mutation in CARD11. Moreover, we observed that activation of wild-type p53 upon INNO-220 treatment was sufficient to induce potent cancer cell death even in the absence of constitutive NF-κB activity. In summary, our findings introduce a selective CK1α degrader as a novel therapeutic approach for lymphoma, providing both mechanistic insights and a potential patient selection strategy in treating lymphoma and possibly other cancers.