RBM39 degrader invigorates innate immunity to eradicate neuroblastoma despite cancer cell plasticity

Abstract

Abstract The cellular plasticity of neuroblastoma is defined by a mixture of two major cell states, adrenergic and mesenchymal, which may contribute to therapy resistance. However, how neuroblastoma cells switch cellular states during therapy remains largely unknown, and how to eradicate neuroblastoma regardless of its cell state is a clinical challenge. To better understand the cellular plasticity of neuroblastoma in chemoresistance, we define the transcriptomic and epigenetic map of adrenergic and mesenchymal types of neuroblastomas using human and murine models treated with indisulam, a selective RBM39 degrader. We show that cancer cells not only undergo a bidirectional switch between adrenergic and mesenchymal states, but also acquire additional cellular states, reminiscent of the developmental pliancy of neural crest cells. These cell state alterations are coupled with epigenetic reprogramming and dependency switching of cell state–specific transcription factors, epigenetic modifiers, and targetable kinases. Through targeting RNA splicing, indisulam induces an inflammatory tumor microenvironment and enhances the anticancer activity of natural killer cells. The combination of indisulam with anti-GD2 immunotherapy results in a durable, complete response in high-risk transgenic neuroblastoma models, providing an innovative, rational therapeutic approach to eradicate tumor cells regardless of their potential to switch cell states.