Journal: bioRxiv
Article Title: Mevalonate pathway activation in Ewing sarcoma reveals a 3D-specific synergy between statins and BCL-xL inhibition
doi: 10.1101/2025.11.20.689456
Figure Lengend Snippet: (A) Schematic overview of the upper mevalonate pathway illustrating statin-mediated inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase. (B) Chemical structure of pitavastatin, a potent HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor targeting mevalonate pathway. (C) Heatmap summarizing drug synergy in 3D Ewing sarcoma cultures. Combinations of pitavastatin with the BCL-2 inhibitor ABT-199 (venetoclax), BCL-xL inhibitor A1155463, or MCL-1 inhibitor S63845 were additive in 2D cultures (NumScore = 0) but showed marked synergy in 3D spheroids across multiple concentration points. NumScore indicates the number of wells in the dose matrix where the observed effect exceeds Bliss-predicted additivity. (D) Heatmap of MaxScore values for the SK-N-MC cell line, comparing 3D and 2D cultures. Left: High MaxScores in 3D cultures indicate strong synergy across concentration points. Right: Low MaxScores in 2D cultures highlight reduced synergistic interaction. Orange boxes denote the IC₅₀ concentrations of both pitavastatin and A1155463.
Article Snippet: S63845 and A-1155463 were obtained from Selleck Chemicals (Houston, TX, USA) and TargetMol (Boston, MA, USA).
Techniques: Inhibition, Concentration Assay