The ERAD inhibitor Eeyarestatin I is a bifunctional compound with an ER localizing domain and a p97/VCP inhibitory group

Protein homeostasis in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has recently emerged as a therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Disruption of ER homeostasis results in ER stress, which is a major cause of cell death for cells exposed to the proteasome inhibitor Bortezomib, an anti-cancer drug approved for treatment of multiple myeloma and Mantle cell lymphoma. We recently reported that the ERAD inhibitor Eeyarestatin I (EerI) also disturbs ER homeostasis and has anti-cancer activities resembling that of Bortezomib. Our findings reveal a class of bifunctional chemical agents that can preferentially inhibit membrane-bound p97 to disrupt ER homeostasis and induce tumor cell death. These results also suggest that the AAA ATPase p97 may be a potential drug target for cancer therapy. Cells were treated with EerI, CBU-028, or 5-NA each at 10uM in duplicates for 10h