Hypoxia deactivates epigenetic feedbacks via enzyme-derived clicking proteolysis-targeting chimeras

Epigenetic mediation through bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) proteins have progressively translated protein imbalance into effective cancer treatment. Perturbation of druggable BET proteins through proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) has recently contributed to the discovery of effective therapeutics. Unfortunately, precise and microenvironment-activatable BET protein degradation content with promising tumor selectivity and pharmacological suitability remains elusive. Here, we present an enzyme-derived clicking PROTACs (ENCTACs) capable of orthogonally cross-linking two disparate small-molecule warhead ligands that recognize BET bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) protein and E3 ligase within tumors only upon hypoxia-induced activation of nitroreductase enzyme. This localized formation of heterobifunctional degraders promotes specific down-regulation of BRD4, which subsequently alters expression of epigenetic targets and, therefore, allows precise modulation of hypoxic signaling in live cells, zebrafish, and living mice with solid tumors. Our activation-feedback system demonstrates compelling superiorities and may enable the PROTAC technology with more flexible practicality and druggable potency for precision medicine in the near future.