Androgen receptor inhibition extends PARP inhibitor activity in prostate cancer models beyond BRCA mutations and defects in homologous recombination repair

Recent phase 3 clinical trial readouts have shown benefit of the combination of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) with androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibitors (ARPi) in metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). While benefit was particularly evident in patients with tumours harbouring mutations in homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes, improved outcomes were also observed in patients with no such defined alterations in their cancers. Although there is literature linking AR activity with DNA repair pathways, the basis of the interaction between the AR and PARP is unclear. Here, we show that benefit of the combination of ARPi and PARPi in prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo models with no HRR mutations requires ARPi-responsive cells and a PARPi with PARP1-trapping activity, and does not involve an effect of PARPi treatment in modulating the transcriptional role of the AR. Combination benefit is driven by an increase in DNA damage in the form of DNA double-strand breaks and micronuclei formation, which is not due to a direct control of HRR gene transcription by the AR. In addition, we uncover a novel role of PARP1 in modulating AR recruitment to chromatin in the presence of DNA damage. These data shed new light on the interplay between PARP1 and the AR in dealing with genotoxic insults and provide a mechanism of action consistent with the observed clinical benefit of the combination of PARPi and ARPi in patients with prostate cancer.