Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara
University of South Alabama
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Featured researches published by Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara.
Oncogene | 2015
Nan Li; Kevin Lee; Yaguang Xi; Bing Zhu; Bernard D. Gary; Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara; Evrim Gurpinar; Joshua C. Canzoneri; Alexandra Fajardo; Sara C. Sigler; John T. Piazza; Xi Chen; Joel Andrews; Meagan Thomas; Wenyan Lu; Yonghe Li; Danuel J. Laan; Mary P. Moyer; Suzanne Russo; Brian T. Eberhardt; Larry Yet; Adam B. Keeton; William E. Grizzle; Gary A. Piazza
The cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10) has been mostly studied as a therapeutic target for certain psychiatric and neurological conditions, although a potential role in tumorigenesis has not been reported. Here we show that PDE10 is elevated in human colon tumor cell lines compared with normal colonocytes, as well as in colon tumors from human clinical specimens and intestinal tumors from ApcMin/+ mice compared with normal intestinal mucosa, respectively. An isozyme and tumor-selective role of PDE10 were evident by the ability of small-molecule inhibitors and small interfering RNA knockdown to suppress colon tumor cell growth with reduced sensitivity of normal colonocytes. Stable knockdown of PDE10 by short hairpin RNA also inhibits colony formation and increases doubling time of colon tumor cells. PDE10 inhibition selectively activates cGMP/cGMP-dependent protein kinase signaling to suppress β-catenin levels and T-cell factor (TCF) transcriptional activity in colon tumor cells. Conversely, ectopic expression of PDE10 in normal and precancerous colonocytes increases proliferation and activates TCF transcriptional activity. These observations suggest a novel role of PDE10 in colon tumorigenesis and that inhibitors may be useful for the treatment or prevention of colorectal cancer.
Oncotarget | 2015
Nan Li; Xi Chen; Bing Zhu; Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara; Joshua C. Canzoneri; Kevin Lee; Sara C. Sigler; Bernard D. Gary; Yonghe Li; Wei Zhang; Mary P. Moyer; E. Alan Salter; Andrzej Wierzbicki; Adam B. Keeton; Gary A. Piazza
Previous studies suggest the anti-inflammatory drug, sulindac inhibits tumorigenesis by a COX independent mechanism involving cGMP PDE inhibition. Here we report that the cGMP PDE isozymes, PDE5 and 10, are elevated in colon tumor cells compared with normal colonocytes, and that inhibitors and siRNAs can selectively suppress colon tumor cell growth. Combined treatment with inhibitors or dual knockdown suppresses tumor cell growth to a greater extent than inhibition from either isozyme alone. A novel sulindac derivative, ADT-094 was designed to lack COX-1/-2 inhibitory activity but have improved potency to inhibit PDE5 and 10. ADT-094 displayed >500 fold higher potency to inhibit colon tumor cell growth compared with sulindac by activating cGMP/PKG signaling to suppress proliferation and induce apoptosis. Combined inhibition of PDE5 and 10 by treatment with ADT-094, PDE isozyme-selective inhibitors, or by siRNA knockdown also suppresses β-catenin, TCF transcriptional activity, and the levels of downstream targets, cyclin D1 and survivin. These results suggest that dual inhibition of PDE5 and 10 represents novel strategy for developing potent and selective anticancer drugs.
Cancer Research | 2016
Kevin Lee; Ashley S. Lindsey; Luciana Madeira da Silva; Alisa Trinh; Bernard D. Gary; Joel Andrews; Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara; Adam B. Keeton; Wen-Chi L. Chang; Margie L. Clapper; Gary A. Piazza
Phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) is a cGMP and cAMP degrading PDE isozyme that is highly expressed in the brain striatum where it appears to play an important role in cognition and psychomotor activity. PDE10 inhibitors are being developed for the treatment of schizophrenia and Huntington9s disease and are generally well tolerated, possibly because of low expression levels in most peripheral tissues. We recently reported high levels of PDE10 in colon tumors and that genetic silencing of PDE10 by siRNA or inhibition with small molecule inhibitors can suppress colon tumor cell growth with a high degree of selectivity over normal colonocytes (Li et al., Oncogene 2015). These observations suggest PDE10 may have an unrecognized role in tumorigenesis. Here we report that the concentration range by which the highly specific PDE10 inhibitor, Pf-2545920 (MP-10), inhibited colon tumor cell growth parallels the concentration range required to increase cGMP and cAMP levels, and activate PKG and PKA, respectively. Moreover, PDE10 knockdown by shRNA reduced the sensitivity of colon tumor cells to the growth inhibitory activity of Pf-2545920. Pf-2545920 also inhibited the translocation of β-catenin to the nucleus, thereby reducing β-catenin mediated transcription of survivin, which resulted in caspase activation and apoptosis. This was determined to be through a PKG mediated pathway through the use of small molecule inhibitors of PKG and PKA. PDE10 mRNA was also found to be elevated in colon tumors compared with normal tissues in a cDNA array. We also report the increase in PDE10 mRNA in 50% of a small collection of human clinical specimens collected at the Mitchell Cancer Institute (n = 13). In addition, novel PDE10 inhibitor, MCI-030, reduced tumor size and activated PDE10 signaling mechanisms in vivo. These findings suggest that PDE10 can be targeted for cancer therapy or prevention whereby inhibition results in cGMP elevation and PKG activation to reduce β-catenin-mediated transcription of survival proteins leading to the selective apoptosis of cancer cells. Citation Format: Kevin J. Lee, Ashley S. Lindsey, Luciana Madeira da Silva, Alisa Trinh, Bernard Gary, Joel Andrews, Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara, Adam B. Keeton, Wen-Chi Chang, Margie Clapper, Gary A. Piazza. Beta-catenin nuclear translocation in colorectal cancer cells is suppressed by PDE10A inhibition, cGMP elevation, and activation of PKG. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 331.
Oncotarget | 2017
Bing Zhu; Ashley S. Lindsey; Nan Li; Kevin Lee; Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara; Joshua C. Canzoneri; Alexandra M. Fajardo; Luciana Madeira da Silva; Meagan Thomas; John T. Piazza; Larry Yet; Brian T. Eberhardt; Evrim Gurpinar; Dennis Otali; William E. Grizzle; Jacob Valiyaveettil; Xi Chen; Adam B. Keeton; Gary A. Piazza
Phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10) is a cyclic nucleotide (e.g. cGMP) degrading enzyme highly expressed in the brain striatum where it plays an important role in dopaminergic neurotransmission, but has limited expression and no known physiological function outside the central nervous system. Here we report that PDE10 mRNA and protein levels are strongly elevated in human non-small cell lung cancer cells and lung tumors compared with normal human airway epithelial cells and lung tissue, respectively. Genetic silencing of PDE10 or inhibition by small molecules such as PQ10 was found to selectively inhibit the growth and colony formation of lung tumor cells. PQ10 treatment of lung tumor cells rapidly increased intracellular cGMP levels and activated cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) at concentrations that inhibit lung tumor cell growth. PQ10 also increased the phosphorylation of β-catenin and reduced its levels, which paralleled the suppression of cyclin D1 and survivin but preceded the activation of PARP and caspase cleavage. PQ10 also suppressed RAS-activated RAF/MAPK signaling within the same concentration range and treatment period as required for cGMP elevation and PKG activation. These results show that PDE10 is overexpressed during lung cancer development and essential for lung tumor cell growth in which inhibitors can selectively induce apoptosis by increasing intracellular cGMP levels and activating PKG to suppress oncogenic β-catenin and MAPK signaling.
Cancer Research | 2017
Kevin Lee; Xi Chen; Jacob Valiyaveettil; Ashley S. Lindsey; Joel Andrews; Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara; Adam B. Keeton; Gary A. Piazza; Margie L. Clapper; Wen-Chi L. Chang
Sulindac has been reported to reduce the number and size of precancerous colonic adenomas in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), but is not recommended for long-term use as a cancer chemopreventive drug because of potentially fatal toxicities associated with cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition. We report here a novel sulindac derivative, ADT-061, that lacks COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitory activity, yet potently and selectively inhibits colon tumor cells with IC 50 values of 0.3-0.5 μM with no significant effect on the growth of normal colonocytes. By comparison, sulindac sulfide inhibits colon tumor cell growth with IC 50 values of 40-60 μM, and has only modest tumor cell selectivity. ADT-061 inhibits phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10), which increases intracellular cGMP levels, thus activates protein kinase G, suppresses nuclear levels of β-catenin, and induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, all within the same concentration range that inhibits tumor cell growth. ADT-061was evaluated for chemopreventive activity in the APC +/min-FCCC mouse model of colon cancer, which harbors colorectal adenomas that express PDE10. Colonoscopy exams were initially performed on all mice to ensure the absence of colorectal adenomas prior to treatment. At 7-8 weeks of age, male mice were treated with ADT-061 (1000ppm and 1500ppm) in the diet for 14 weeks. ADT-061 reduced the incidence of colorectal adenomas from 95.8% in the control group to 73.9% in the 1000ppm group (p=0.048), and 59.1% (p=0.004) in the 1500ppm group. Control untreated mice had an average of 2.98 colorectal adenomas per mouse, while mice treated with 1000ppm and 1500ppm ADT-061 had an average of 2.04 (p=0.102) and 1.91 (p=0.039) adenomas per mouse, respectively. These observations suggest that ADT-061, or analogs thereof, merit further drug development efforts for colorectal cancer chemoprevention. Citation Format: Kevin J. Lee, Xi Chen, Jacob Valiyaveettil, Ashley S. Lindsey, Joel Andrews, Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara, Adam B. Keeton, Gary A. Piazza, Margie L. Clapper, Wen-Chi L. Chang. Novel non-COX inhibitory sulindac derivative with PDE10 inhibitory activity reduces incidence and multiplicity of colorectal adenomas in the APC+/min-FCCC mouse model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Colorectal Cancer: From Initiation to Outcomes; 2016 Sep 17-20; Tampa, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(3 Suppl):Abstract nr A30.
Cancer Research | 2017
Kevin Lee; Xi Chen; Jacob Valiyaveettil; Ashley S. Lindsey; Joel Andrews; Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara; Adam B. Keeton; Gary A. Piazza; Harry S. Cooper; Margie L. Clapper; Wen-Chi L. Chang
Sulindac can reduce the number and size of precancerous colonic adenomas in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), but is not recommended for long-term use as a cancer chemopreventive drug because of potentially fatal toxicities associated with cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition. Here we characterize the antineoplastic properties of a novel sulindac derivative, ADT-061, that lacks COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitory activity. ADT-061 potently and selectively inhibited colon tumor cell growth in vitro with IC50 values of 0.3-0.5 μM by inducing apoptosis without affecting the growth of normal colonocytes at concentrations 100x higher. By comparison, sulindac sulfide (SS) inhibited colon tumor cell growth with IC50 values of 40-60 μM, and had only modest tumor cell selectivity. While SS non-selectively inhibits multiple cyclic GMP phosphodiesteraes (PDE) isozymes, previous studies have suggested an important role for PDE10 in colon cancer (Li et al, Oncogene, 2014; Lee et al, Oncotarget, 2015). At concentrations comparable to its IC50 values, ADT-061 selectively inhibits PDE10 to induce an increase in intracellular cGMP levels and activate protein kinase G (PKG). ADT-061 also suppressed nuclear levels of β-catenin and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, within the same concentration range that inhibits tumor cell growth. With attractive drug-like properties, the chemopreventive activity ADT-061was assessed using the APC+/min-FCCC mouse model of spontaneous colorectal tumorigenesis. Prior to treatment, colonoscopy exams were performed on all APC+/min-FCCC mice (males, 6-7 weeks of age) to ensure the absence of colorectal adenomas. At 7-8 weeks of age, mice were assigned (19 per group) to receive either unsupplemented chow (control) or chow supplemented with ADT-061 (1500ppm) for 14 weeks. No discernible toxicity was observed during the experimental period. Double-blinded pathological analysis of fixed colon tissues revealed that ADT-061 not only reduced the multiplicity of colonic adenomas by 50% (Mean ± SEM, control vs. ADT-061, 3.95 ± 0.81 vs. 1.95 ± 0.58, P Citation Format: Kevin J. Lee, Xi Chen, Jacob Valiyaveettil, Ashley S. Lindsey, Joel Andrews, Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara, Adam B. Keeton, Gary A. Piazza, Harry Cooper, Margie Clapper, Wen-Chi L. Chang. Novel non-COX inhibitory sulindac derivative with β-catenin suppressing activity reduces the formation of colorectal adenomas and adenocarcinomas in the APC+/min-FCCC mouse model [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5243. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5243
Cancer Research | 2017
Ashley S. Lindsey; Kevin Lee; Joel Andrews; Wen-Chi L. Chang; Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara; Marcus C.B. Tan; William E. Grizzle; Margie L. Clapper; Gary A. Piazza
Phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) is a cGMP and cAMP degrading PDE isozyme expressed in areas of the brain controlling motor function and cognition. PDE10A has been strongly linked to diseases such as schizophrenia and Huntington9s disease, for which PDE10A inhibitors are currently in clinical trials and appear to be well tolerated. Although, PDE10A has limited expression and no known function in peripheral tissues, high levels were measured in colon tumor cells in vitro and in vivo compared with cells derived from normal colon and colonic mucosa (Li et al., Oncogene 2015). PDE10A inhibition by small molecules or genetic silencing attenuated colon tumor cell growth by a mechanism involving cGMP/PKG activation, the suppression of oncogenic β-catenin, and a decrease in TCF transcriptional activity (Li et al., Oncogene 2015). These observations suggest that PDE10A may play an unrecognized role in tumorigenesis and provide a novel therapeutic target for colorectal cancer chemoprevention or therapy. The human colon tumor cell lines, HCT116, HT29, Caco2, and SW480, show elevated expression of PDE10A as compared to the normal colon mucosal epithelial cell line, NCM460, and are more sensitive to PDE10 inhibitors relative to NCM460 cells. Subcutaneous tumors established from HT29 colon tumor cells in athymic mice expressed elevated levels of PDE10A as compared to normal mouse colon tissue. Colon tumors collected from heterozygous APCmin/+FCCC mice displayed an elevation in PDE10A levels as compared to uninvolved mucosa from the APCmin/+FCCC mice and wild type colon mucosa. Overexpression of PDE10A mRNA and protein levels was also observed in colon adenocarcinomas relative to uninvolved colon mucosa in specimens obtained from colorectal cancer patients. These observations, along with recent findings that a novel sulindac derivative (ADT-061) with PDE10A inhibitory activity suppresses tumor formation in the APCmin/+FCCC mouse model of colon cancer without apparent toxicity, suggests that PDE10A provides a novel therapeutic target for cancer cell specific inhibition of tumor growth. Citation Format: Ashley S. Lindsey, Kevin Lee, Joel Andrews, Wen-Chi L. Chang, Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara, Marcus Tan, William Grizzle, Margie L. Clapper, Gary Piazza. PDE10A overexpression in colon cancer cells and tumors relative to normal colonocytes and colon mucosa. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Colorectal Cancer: From Initiation to Outcomes; 2016 Sep 17-20; Tampa, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(3 Suppl):Abstract nr B21.
Cancer Research | 2017
Antonio Ward; Xi Chen; Jacob Valiyaveettil; Bing Zhu; Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara; Kevin Lee; Ashley S. Lindsey; Kristy L. Berry; Tyler E. Mattox; Kate McConnell; Michael R. Boyd; Gary A. Piazza; Adam B. Keeton
Introduction: Over 30% of all human cancers harbor activating RAS mutations which induce deregulation of the cell cycle, uncontrolled proliferation, and decreased apoptosis. Through a phenotypic screening strategy, we have identified a series of indene derivatives which potently and selectively inhibit growth of tumor cells harboring activated RAS. A development candidate from this series, DC070-547, disrupts RAS-RAF binding, inhibits RAS signaling, causes cell cycle arrest and induces apoptosis, and exhibits strong anti-tumor activity in a mouse KRAS mutant tumor model. Methods: Viable cell number was measured using a luminescent indicator of ATP. RAS activation was measured by GST-RAF1-RBD pull-down and western blotting using an anti-RAS antibody. Disruption of RAS-RAF binding was determined by pre-incubation of GST-RAF1-RBD beads with cell lysates or recombinant RAS in the presence of test compounds for 30 min. Cell cycle distribution was measured by DNA content and immunofluorescent detection of cell cycle proteins. Antitumor activity was determined in a subcutaneous mouse tumor model involving KRAS mutant colon tumors. Results: Low nanomolar concentrations of DC070-547 selectively inhibited growth of a diverse panel of tumor cell lines harboring activated RAS relative to tumor cell lines lacking activated RAS. Transfection of HT-29 cells lacking activated RAS with mutant RAS conferred sensitivity to DC070-547. The compounds blocked binding of RAF1-RBD to recombinant RAS, RAS from cell lysates, as well as RAS in intact cells. Sustained and potent growth inhibitory effects of DC070-547 were demonstrated by colony formation assays. Immunoblotting showed that DC070-547 inhibited EGF-induced signaling in HCT-116 colon tumor cells with activated RAS at concentrations that inhibit growth. DC070-547 also induced apoptosis as evident by Annexin V labeling and M-phase arrest in HCT116 cells as shown by DNA content and immunostaining of phospho-Histone H3B and Cdc25C, an important downstream mediator of RAS signaling. DC070-547 and three analogs from this series were evaluated for antitumor activity in an athymic mouse model using subcutaneously implanted KRAS mutant colon tumor cells. Treatments either completely suppressed tumor growth or caused tumor regression with no discernible toxicity. Conclusion: While RAS is widely considered to be non-druggable, a novel compound series was identified that potently and selectivity inhibit in vitro and in vivo the growth of tumor cells harboring activated RAS by inhibiting RAS-effector binding. Together, these findings support further preclinical development of this compound class for Phase I/II clinical evaluation for the treatment of RAS-driven cancers. Citation Format: Antonio Ward, Xi Chen, Jacob Valiyaveettil, Bing Zhu, Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara, Kevin J. Lee, Ashley Lindsey, Kristy Berry, Tyler E. Mattox, Kate McConnell, Michael R. Boyd, Gary A. Piazza, Adam B. Keeton. Characterization of a novel class of RAS inhibitory compounds with potent anti-tumor activity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5159. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5159
Cancer Research | 2017
Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara; Adam B. Keeton; Bing Zhu; Kevin Lee; Joshua C. Canzoneri; Ashley S. Lindsey; Luciana Barnes; Kristy Berry; Jacob Valiyaveettil; Xi Chen; Michael R. Boyd; Gary A. Piazza
Introduction: Activating mutations in Ras oncogenes play a critical role in the development of colorectal cancer and are an indicator of poor prognosis. Constitutive activation of Ras proteins is also associated with resistance to chemotherapy and radiation in which treatment options are limited. Despite extensive efforts, no drugs have been successfully developed that target these aberrant gene products, in part because of the high affinity of Ras binding to GTP, which is essential for Ras activation. Using a phenotypic screening assay designed to select for Ras inhibitors and follow-up chemical optimization, a novel Ras inhibitor, DC070-547 was identified, which potently and selectively inhibits the growth of colon tumor cells with activated Ras in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Tumor cell growth inhibitory activity of DC070-547 was measured in a panel of human colon tumor cell lines using the CellTiter Glo assay following 72 h of treatment. Ras activation levels were measured by precipitating GTP-bound Ras from human colon tumor cell lysates with GST-Raf1-RBD/GSH Sepharose followed by western blotting using anti-Ras antibody. Isogenic cell lines were established by transfecting Ras wild-type HT-29 colon tumor cells with mutant H-Ras. Disruption of Ras-Raf binding was determined by pre-incubating cell lysates or intact cells in the presence of DC070-547 for 30 or 45 min followed by Ras pull-down with GST-Raf beads and western blotting using anti-Ras or an anti-GST antibody as a loading control. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were measured by DNA content and annexin V levels, respectively. Antitumor activity was determined in a mouse xenograft model subcutaneously implanted with mutant K-Ras HCT-116 colon tumor cells. Mice were treated with DC070-547 administered i.p. for 14 days at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg bid in a co-solvent formulation. Results: DC070-547 potently inhibits the growth of mutant K-Ras HCT-116 and other colon tumor cell lines having constitutively activated Ras with IC50 values as low as 2 nM and selectivity indices of approximately 100-fold for HT-29 and other colon tumor cells lacking activated Ras. Among a panel of six colon tumor cell lines, a strong correlation was measured between IC50 values for growth inhibition and the level of Ras activation, suggesting that activated Ras is the primary target. Isogenic cell line pairs involving transfecting Ras wild-type cells with mutant H-Ras confirmed that sensitivity to DC070-547 required activated Ras. DC070-547 also blocked Ras-Raf binding in cell lysates and intact cells at concentrations that inhibit the growth of tumor cells with activated Ras. The mechanism of growth inhibition by DC070-547 appears to involve mitotic arrest and apoptosis. Moreover, cells obtained from normal colon mucosa were essentially refractory to treatment with DC070-547. In a mouse xenograft model involving mutant K-Ras human HCT-116 colon tumors, DC070-547 was well tolerated and caused a sustained inhibition of tumor growth in which there was complete tumor regression in 3 of 7 mice. Conclusions: DC070-547 potently and selectively inhibits the growth of colon tumor cells with constitutively activated Ras by disrupting Ras-effector interactions and represents a first-in-class drug development candidate for the treatment of Ras-driven colorectal cancer. Citation Format: Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara, Adam B. Keeton, Bing Zhu, Kevin J. Lee, Joshua Canzoneri, Ashley S. Lindsey, Luciana Madeira da Silva Barnes, Kristy Berry, Jacob Valiyaveettil, Xi Chen, Michael R. Boyd, Gary Piazza. DC070-547, a novel Ras inhibitor potently and selectivity inhibits colon tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Colorectal Cancer: From Initiation to Outcomes; 2016 Sep 17-20; Tampa, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(3 Suppl):Abstract nr B23.
Cancer Research | 2017
Luciana Madeira da Silva; Elaine Gavin; Kevin Lee; Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara; Kristy L. Berry; Holly Taylor; Alla Musiyenko; Ileana V. Aragon; Adam B. Keeton; Jennifer Scalici; Rodney P. Rocconi; Gary A. Piazza
Canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling is known to be associated with platinum resistance in ovarian cancer in which inhibitors hold promise for the treatment of refractory disease. Phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) is a dual cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase isozyme recently implicated in colon cancer. PDE10A inhibition in colon cancer cells by siRNA or small molecule inhibitors increased cGMP levels and activated PKG to inhibit β-catenin signaling. A novel PDE10 inhibitor, ADT-061, was identified by screening a library of indene derivatives, and showed strong antineoplastic activity in the Apc+/min-FCCC mouse (Lee K et al., unpublished data). Cyclic GMP and phosphodiesterases participate in the ovarian follicular development, although little is known about PDE10A expression in ovaries, especially with regard to a potential role in ovarian tumorigenesis. PDE10A protein was found to be expressed in various established ovarian cancer cell lines at higher levels than immortalized or primary ovarian surface epithelial cell lines. Pf-2545920, a known PDE10A inhibitor, and ADT-061 inhibited the growth of multiple ovarian tumor cell lines with IC50s around 20µM and 0.5µM, respectively. Both compounds induced apoptosis after 24h treatment, as measured by PI/Annexin-V staining and PARP cleavage. Pf-2545920 and ADT-061 induced phosphorylation of VASP at Ser157 and Ser239 in various ovarian cancer cell lines, indicating activation of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP signaling, respectively. Treatment also decreased levels of β-catenin and downstream targets of TCF-dependent transcription, including c-MYC, survivin and cyclin-D1. Homozygous knockout PDE10A clones of OV-90 ovarian cancer cells obtained using CRISPR/Cas9 showed decreased clonogenic potential, decreased Pf-2545920-mediated VASP phosphorylation and β-catenin, c-MYC and survivin expression. Ongoing efforts are focused on the development of more potent ADT-061 analogs. These observations support further study of a role of PDE10 in ovarian tumorigenesis and the development of ADT-061 or analogs for the treatment of refractory ovarian cancer as well as the prevention of malignant recurrence. Citation Format: Luciana Madeira Da Silva, Elaine Gavin, Kevin J. Lee, Veronica Ramirez-Alcantara, Kristy L. Berry, Holly T. Taylor, Alla Musiyenko, Ileana V. Aragon, Adam B. Keeton, Jennifer Scalici, Rodney P. Rocconi, Gary A. Piazza. Phosphodiesterase 10A inhibition as a novel approach to suppress β-catenin signaling in ovarian cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5174. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5174