Multivalent DR5 peptides activate the TRAIL death pathway and exert tumoricidal activity.

Ongoing clinical trials are exploring anticancer approaches based on signaling by TRAIL, a ligand for the cell death receptors DR4 and DR5. In this study, we report on the selective apoptotic effects of multivalent DR5 binding peptides (TRAIL(mim/DR5)) on cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Surface plasmon resonance revealed up to several thousand-fold increased affinities of TRAIL(mim/DR5)-receptor complexes on generation of divalent and trivalent molecules, the latter of which was achieved with a conformationally restricted adamantane core. Notably, only multivalent molecules triggered a substantial DR5-dependent apoptotic response in vitro. In tumor models derived from human embryonic kidney cells or primary foreskin fibroblasts, TRAIL(mim/DR5) peptides exerted a cancer cell-selective action that could synergize with resveratrol in a manner independent of p53. In a xenograft model of human colon cancer, a divalent TRAIL(mim/DR5) peptide inhibited tumor growth. Our results offer a proof-of-principle for the development of synthetic small molecules to trigger the TRAIL apoptosis pathway for cancer therapy.