# Targeting Constitutively Active SUMO Modified Androgen Receptors in Endocrine Resistant Breast Cancer

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · 2022 · $348,817

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Forty percent of patients with the most prevalent luminal hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer (BCa)
subtype are unresponsive to conventional endocrine therapy (ET) and readily present with incurable metastatic
disease. Patients with ET resistant (ET-R) BCa exhibit an “endocrine-switch” to androgen receptor (AR)-
dependent tumor growth and metastasis. Anti-androgens are emerging as promising therapy for other
advanced BCa subtypes but surprisingly, AR overexpressing ET-R BCa cells are unresponsive to AR
antagonists. Our new findings show constitutively active AR accumulate and evade the inhibitory actions of
anti-androgen Enzalutamide (Enz). Hence, the objective of the current project is to design a therapeutic
strategy to effectively target AR and prevent metastatic progression of ET-R BCa.
We demonstrate that unlike other cancer models, persistent SUMO post-translational modification (PTM) of AR
(SUMO-AR) occurs natively in acquired and intrinsic ET-R BCa cells. SUMO-PTM is a critical dynamic cellular
process and an imbalance in SUMO-specific enzymes drive select types of BCa including basal and Myc-
dependent BCa as reported by us and others. Independent of the established SUMO enzymatic system, we
identify a dual SUMO-ubiquitin ligase that is druggable and destabilizes SUMO-AR in ET-R BCa. This proposal
will delineate the regulatory control of this novel ligase in ET-R BCa and its role in Enz-response. Our new data
suggests that constitutive SUMO-AR genomic activity requires interaction with a lncRNA. Hence, we will
delineate how SUMO-AR/lncRNA interaction facilitates ligand-independent genomic activity in ET-R BCa cells.
Finally, the proposed studies will test unique approaches to either 1) inhibit AR activity or 2) potentiate AR
degradation versus the current standard Enz. In the process, we will generate novel therapeutics and evaluate
clinically relevant compounds specifically for advanced ET-R BCa.
Consistently, completion of the project will validate the need and establish the tools for more comprehensive
translational studies on SUMO-AR in ET-R HR+ BCa.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10478966
- **Project number:** 5R01CA256543-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Tasneem Bawa-Khalfe
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $348,817
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10478966

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10478966, Targeting Constitutively Active SUMO Modified Androgen Receptors in Endocrine Resistant Breast Cancer (5R01CA256543-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10478966. Licensed CC0.

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