The PARP inhibitor Rucaparib synergizes with radiation to attenuate atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor growth

Background Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRT) are highly aggressive pediatric brain tumors. The available treatments rely on toxic chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which themselves can cause poor outcomes in young patients. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARP), multifunctional enzymes which play an important role in DNA damage repair and genome stability have emerged as a new target in cancer therapy. An FDA-approved drug screen revealed that Rucaparib, a PARP inhibitor, is important for ATRT cell growth. This study aims to investigate the effect of Rucaparib treatment in ATRT. Methods This study utilized cell viability, colony formation, flow cytometry, western blot, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry assays to investigate Rucaparib's effectiveness in BT16 and MAF737 ATRT cell lines. In vivo, intracranial orthotopic xenograft model of ATRT was used. BT16 cell line was transduced with a luciferase-expressing vector and injected into the cerebellum of athymic nude mice. Animals were treated with Rucaparib by oral gavaging and irradiated with 2 Gy of radiation for 3 consecutive days. Tumor growth was monitored using In Vivo Imaging System. Results Rucaparib treatment decreased ATRT cell growth, inhibited clonogenic potential of ATRT cells, induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and led to DNA damage accumulation as shown by increased expression of gamma H2AX. In vivo, Rucaparib treatment decreased tumor growth, sensitized ATRT cells to radiation and significantly increased mice survival. Conclusion We demonstrated that Rucaparib has potential to be a new therapeutic strategy for ATRT as seen by its ability to decrease ATRT tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo.