# Targeting the p53 cancer mutants Y220C, Y220N, and Y220S with the small-molecule stabilizer rezatapopt

## TL;DR

This study shows that the drug rezatapopt can stabilize and reactivate certain mutant forms of the p53 protein, which are linked to cancer, but with varying effectiveness across different mutations.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that rezatapopt binds to and stabilizes the Y220N and Y220S p53 mutants, expanding its potential therapeutic scope.

## Key findings

- Rezatapopt binds to Y220N and Y220S p53 mutants with nanomolar affinity and restores wild-type-like stability.
- High-resolution crystal structures reveal a conserved binding mode and key interactions with the protein backbone.
- Rezatapopt reactivates p53 signaling in Y220C and Y220S mutant cells but shows limited effect on Y220N cells at tested concentrations.

## Abstract

The cavity-creating p53 cancer mutation Y220C, which accounts for an estimated 125,000 new cancer cases per year, serves as an excellent paradigm for the development of mutant p53 reactivators. Several molecules that reactivate this thermolabile cancer mutant by targeting the mutation-induced crevice have been developed, and one of them, rezatapopt, is currently in clinical trials. The less frequently occurring Y220N and Y220S mutations are even more destabilizing than Y220C but create a similar surface crevice, raising the question of whether cancer patients with these mutations might also benefit from rezatapopt treatment. Here, we show that rezatapopt also binds to the Y220N and Y220S mutants, with nanomolar affinity, resulting in a full recovery of wild-type-like stability for the latter. High-resolution crystal structures of all three mutants bound to rezatapopt revealed a conserved binding mode, highlighting key interactions, including multipolar interactions of a fluorine substituent at a chiral center with the protein backbone. Consistent with the biophysical and structural data, rezatapopt reactivated p53 signaling in both Y220C and Y220S mutant cells by restoring the folded conformation and transcriptional activity, leading to anti-proliferative effects and apoptosis, albeit requiring higher compound concentrations in Y220S cells. The Y220N mutant, despite exhibiting high-nanomolar affinity for rezatapopt and substantial stabilization, did not show noticeable effects in cells at the concentrations tested, as rezatapopt binding resulted in only partial compensation for the mutation-induced loss of stability, for which we provide a structural explanation. Our data suggest that the development of clinical pan-Y220C/N/S reactivators, which could benefit an additional 10,000 patients per year, is challenging but not impossible.