DB1976 is a classic heterocyclic dication (a single heteroatom) with strong affinity and selectivity for AT-rich sequences commonly found in cognate DNA binding sites for PU.1.
DB1976 inhibits PU.1-dependent transactivation of the reporter in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 2.4 μM in PU.1-negative HEK293 cells.
DB1976 treatment leads to a profound decrease in the growth of PU.1 URE AML cells (IC50 of 105 μM), while showing little effect on normal hematopoietic cells at similar concentrations (IC50 of 334 μM).
DB1976 treatment leads to a 1.6-fold increase in apoptotic cells in murine PU.1 URE AML cells, and observed similar effects in human MOLM13 cells.
DB1976 treatment leads to a significant decrease in the number of viable cells (primary human AML cells) (mean decrease of 81%) and clonogenic capacity (mean decrease of 36%) compared with vehicle-treated cells. The apoptotic cell fraction increased on average by 1.5-fold with DB1976.