ABSTRACT: EGFR inhibitors (EGFRi) are effective against EGFR mutant lung cancers. The efficacy of these drugs however is mitigated by the outgrowth of resistant cells, most often driven by a secondary acquired mutation in EGFR, T790M. We recently demonstrated that T790M can arise de novo during treatment (Hata et al., Nature Medicine 2016); it follows that one potential therapeutic strategy to thwart resistance would be identifying and eliminating these cells (referred to as drug tolerant cells (DTCs)) prior to acquiring secondary mutations like T790M. We have developed DTCs to EGFRi in EGFR mutant lung cancer cell lines. Subsequent analyses of DTCs included RNA-seq, high-content microscopy, and protein translational assays. Based on these results, we tested the ability of MCL-1 BH3 mimetics to combine with EGFR inhibitors to eliminate DTCs and shrink EGFR mutant lung cancer tumors in vivo.
Project description:The clinical efficacy of EGFR kinase inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib is limited by the development of drug resistance. The most common mechanism of drug resistance is the secondary EGFR T790M mutation. Strategies to overcome EGFR T790M mediated drug resistance include the use of mutant selective EGFR inhibitors, including WZ4002, or by the use of high concentrations of irreversible quinazoline EGFR inhibitors such as PF299804. In the current study we develop drug resistant versions of the EGFR mutant PC9 cell line which reproducibly develops EGFR T790M as a mechanism of drug resistance to gefitinib. Neither PF299804 resistant (PFR) or WZ4002 resistant (WZR) clones of PC9 harbor EGFR T790M. Instead, they demonstrate activated IGF1R signaling as a result of loss of expression of IGFBP3 and the IGF1R inhibitor, BMS 536924, restores EGFR inhibitor sensitivity. Intriguingly, prolonged exposure to either PF299804 or WZ4002 results in the emergence of a more drug resistant subclone which contains ERK activation. A MEK inhibitor, CI-1040, partially restores sensitivity to EGFR/IGF1R inhibitor combination. Moreover, an IGF1R or MEK inhibitor used in combination with either PF299804 or WZ4002 completely prevents the emergence of drug resistant clones in this model system. Our studies suggest that more effective means of inhibiting EGFR T790M will prevent the emergence of this common drug resistance mechanism in EGFR mutant NSCLC. However, multiple drug resistance mechanisms can still emerge. Preventing the emergence of drug resistance, by targeting pathways activated in resistant cancers before they emerge, may be a more effective clinical strategy. Total of three samples with duplicate or triplicate each were analyzed.
Project description:Purpose: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) confers resistance to a number of targeted therapies and chemotherapies. However, it has been unclear why EMT promotes resistance, thereby impairing progress to overcome it. Experimental Design: We have developed several models of EMT-mediated resistance to EGFR inhibitors (EGFRi) in EGFR mutant lung cancers to evaluate a novel mechanism of EMT-mediated resistance. Results: We observed that mesenchymal EGFR mutant lung cancers are resistant to EGFRi-induced apoptosis via insufficient expression of BIM, preventing cell death despite potent suppression of oncogenic signaling following EGFRi treatment. Mechanistically, we observed that the EMT transcription factor ZEB1 inhibits BIM expression by binding directly to the BIM promoter and repressing transcription. De-repression of BIM expression by depletion of ZEB1 or treatment with the BH3 mimetic ABT-263 to enhance “free” cellular BIM levels both led to re-sensitization of mesenchymal EGFR mutant cancers to EGFR inhibitors. This relationship between EMT and loss of BIM is not restricted to EGFR mutant lung cancers as it was also observed in KRAS mutant lung cancers and large datasets including different cancer subtypes. Conclusions: Altogether, these data reveal a novel mechanistic link between EMT and resistance to lung cancer targeted therapies.
Project description:Lung adenocarcinoma PC9 cells were engineered to not only contain the driving EGFR-mutations, but also EGFR T790M and EGFR C797S that provide resistance to EGFR inhibitors.
Project description:The clinical efficacy of EGFR kinase inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib is limited by the development of drug resistance. The most common mechanism of drug resistance is the secondary EGFR T790M mutation. Strategies to overcome EGFR T790M mediated drug resistance include the use of mutant selective EGFR inhibitors, including WZ4002, or by the use of high concentrations of irreversible quinazoline EGFR inhibitors such as PF299804. In the current study we develop drug resistant versions of the EGFR mutant PC9 cell line which reproducibly develops EGFR T790M as a mechanism of drug resistance to gefitinib. Neither PF299804 resistant (PFR) or WZ4002 resistant (WZR) clones of PC9 harbor EGFR T790M. Instead, they demonstrate activated IGF1R signaling as a result of loss of expression of IGFBP3 and the IGF1R inhibitor, BMS 536924, restores EGFR inhibitor sensitivity. Intriguingly, prolonged exposure to either PF299804 or WZ4002 results in the emergence of a more drug resistant subclone which contains ERK activation. A MEK inhibitor, CI-1040, partially restores sensitivity to EGFR/IGF1R inhibitor combination. Moreover, an IGF1R or MEK inhibitor used in combination with either PF299804 or WZ4002 completely prevents the emergence of drug resistant clones in this model system. Our studies suggest that more effective means of inhibiting EGFR T790M will prevent the emergence of this common drug resistance mechanism in EGFR mutant NSCLC. However, multiple drug resistance mechanisms can still emerge. Preventing the emergence of drug resistance, by targeting pathways activated in resistant cancers before they emerge, may be a more effective clinical strategy.
Project description:Although mechanisms of acquired resistance of EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancers to EGFR inhibitors have been identified, little is known about how resistant clones evolve during drug therapy. Here, we observe that acquired resistance caused by the T790M gatekeeper mutation can occur either by selection of pre-existing T790M clones or via genetic evolution of initially T790M-negative drug tolerant cells. The path to resistance impacts the biology of the resistant clone, as those that evolved from drug tolerant cells had a diminished apoptotic response to third generation EGFR inhibitors that target T790M EGFR; treatment with navitoclax, an inhibitor of BCL-XL and BCL-2 restored sensitivity. We corroborated these findings using cultures derived directly from EGFR inhibitor-resistant patient tumors. These findings provide evidence that clinically relevant drug resistant cancer cells can both pre-exist and evolve from drug tolerant cells, and point to therapeutic opportunities to prevent or overcome resistance in the clinic.
Project description:The clinical efficacy of EGFR kinase inhibitors is limited by the development of drug resistance. The irreversible EGFR kinase inhibitor WZ4002 is effective against the most common mechanism of drug resistance mediated by the EGFR T790M mutation. Here we show that in multiple complementary models harboring EGFR T790M, resistance to WZ4002 develops through aberrant activation of ERK signaling caused by either an amplification of MAPK1 or by downregulation of negative regulators of ERK signaling. Inhibition of MEK or ERK restores sensitivity to WZ4002, and the combination of WZ4002 and a MEK inhibitor prevents the emergence of drug resistance. The WZ4002 resistant MAPK1 amplified cells also demonstrate an increase both in EGFR internalization and a decrease in sensitivity to cytotoxic chemotherapy compared to the parental counterparts. Our findings provide insights into mechanisms of drug resistance to EGFR kinase inhibitors and highlight rational combination therapies that should be evaluated in clinical trials. The EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line PC9 GR4 (delE746_A750/T790M) was exposed to increasing concentrations of WZ4002 similar to previously described methods. Individual clones from WZ4002-resistant (WZR) cells were isolated and confirmed to be drug resistant. Number of samples: 5. PC9GR4 as a control. 4 clones of WZ4002-resistant PC9GR4.
Project description:Anti-cancer therapies have been limited by emergence of mutations and other adaptations. In bacteria, antibiotics activate the SOS response, which mobilizes error‐prone factors that allow for continuous replication at the cost of mutagenesis. We investigated whether treatment of lung cancer with EGFR inhibitors (EGFRi) similarly engages hypermutators. In cycling drug-tolerant persister (DTP) cells and in EGFRi-treated patients presenting residual disease we observed upregulation of GAS6, while ablation of GAS6’s receptor, AXL, eradicated resistance. Reciprocally, AXL overexpression enhanced DTP survival and accelerated the emergence of T790M, an EGFR mutation typical to resistant cells. Mechanistically, AXL induces low-fidelity DNA polymerases and activates their organizer, RAD18, by promoting neddylation. Metabolomics uncovered another hypermutator, AXL-driven activation of MYC and increased purine synthesis that is unbalanced by pyrimidines. Aligning anti-AXL combination treatments with the transition from DTPs to resistant cells cured patient-derived xenografts. Hence, similar to bacteria, tumors tolerate therapy by engaging pharmacologically targetable endogenous mutators.
Project description:The clinical efficacy of EGFR kinase inhibitors is limited by the development of drug resistance. The irreversible EGFR kinase inhibitor WZ4002 is effective against the most common mechanism of drug resistance mediated by the EGFR T790M mutation. Here we show that in multiple complementary models harboring EGFR T790M, resistance to WZ4002 develops through aberrant activation of ERK signaling caused by either an amplification of MAPK1 or by downregulation of negative regulators of ERK signaling. Inhibition of MEK or ERK restores sensitivity to WZ4002, and the combination of WZ4002 and a MEK inhibitor prevents the emergence of drug resistance. The WZ4002 resistant MAPK1 amplified cells also demonstrate an increase both in EGFR internalization and a decrease in sensitivity to cytotoxic chemotherapy compared to the parental counterparts. Our findings provide insights into mechanisms of drug resistance to EGFR kinase inhibitors and highlight rational combination therapies that should be evaluated in clinical trials. Our study identifies ERK signaling as a mediator of resistance to irreversible pyrimidine EGFR inhibitors in EGFR T790M-bearing cancers. We further provide a therapeutic strategy to both treat and prevent the emergence of this resistance mechanism. To generate drug-resistant NCI-H1975 cell lines, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells were exposed to increasing concentrations of WZ4002 similar to previously described methods. Individual clones from WZ4002-resistant (WZR) cells were isolated and confirmed to be drug resistant. Clone #6, designated as WZR6, was used in this study. For expression analysis, samples were prepared in triplicate from parental NCI-H1975 and NCI-H1975 WZR6 cells.
Project description:EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have demonstrated tremendous clinical benefits in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, resistance emerges rapidly due to a variety of mechanisms including a secondary mutation of T790M in EGFR that abrogates the binding of the drugs. It has been postulated that EGFR TKIs, such as afatinib (BIBW2992), with activity against the T790M mutant EGFR kinase might overcome the drug resistance problem or, when used as the first-line treatment, delay or suppress the emergence of resistance in EGFR. In this study, we generated BIBW2992-resistant cells, HCC827-BR1 and HCC827-BR2, from the parental HCC827 cells. In HCC827-BR cells, EGFR, MET, and Erb2 were down-regulated and no secondary mutation was found to be present in the coding region of EGFR. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed an obvious signature of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the drug resistant cells. Subsequently, the HCC827-BR cells were shown to be more invasive. Most importantly, we strived to seek if alternative medicine might be applied alone or in combination to treat the BIBW2992-resistant cells or to, under BIBW2992 treatment, diminish the emergence of resistant cells. Compared to the parental cells, the HCC827-BR cells were more sensitive to dasatinib, an FDA-approved kinase inhibitor. Furthermore, as revealed in the clonogenicity assay, the reduction of tumor-colony-forming cells after exposure to BIBW2992 was substantially potentiated by low concentration of dasatinib. Thus, prospective clinical investigations may be needed to evaluate if dasatinib can be beneficial to patients receiving second-generation EGFR TKIs for the treatment of NSCLC. Over a period of 3-4 months, BIBW2992-resistant cells were isolated in cell culture by maintenance of HCC827 cells in the presence of escalating concentrations of BIBW2992 up to 2 μM. Two cell lines, HCC827-BR1 and HCC827-BR2, were established based on individual clones. Total RNA of these HCC827, HCC827-BR1 and HCC827-BR2, were extracted for gene expression microarray analysis using Illumina HumanHT12 v3 BeadChip.
Project description:Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. The treatment of lung cancer patients harboring mutant EGFR with orally administered EGFR TKIs has been a paradigm shift. Osimertinib and rociletinib are two 3rd generation irreversible EGFR TKIs targeting the EGFR T790M mutation. Osimertinib is the current standard care for patients with EGFR mutations due to increased efficacy, lower side effects, and enhanced brain penetrance. Unfortunately, all patients develop resistance to it. Genomic approaches have primarily been used to interrogate resistance mechanisms. Here, we have characterized the proteome and phosphoproteome of a series of isogenic EGFR mutant lung adenocarcinoma cell lines that are either sensitive or resistant to these drugs. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive proteomic dataset resource to date to investigate 3rd generation EGFR TKI resistance in lung adenocarcinoma. We have interrogated this unbiased global quantitative proteomic and phosphoproteomic dataset to uncover alterations in signaling pathways, and to reveal a proteomic signature of EMT and kinases / phosphatases with altered protein expression and phosphorylation in the TKI resistant cells. We validated the significant role of SHP2 in the activation of RAS/MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. Furthermore, we performed anticorrelation analyses of this phosphoproteomic dataset with the published drug-induced P100 phosphoproteomic datasets from the Library of Integrated Network-Based Cellular Signatures (LINCS) program to predict drugs with the potential to overcome EGFR TKI resistance. We identified that dactolisib, a PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, in combination with osimertinib, may overcome osimertinib resistance both in vitro and in vivo. Introduction Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer mortality in the world (1). Many lung adenocarcinoma patients with activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations initially respond dramaticlly to the first- or second-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). However, they eventually develop resistance. The most common mechanism of acquired resistance is the EGFR T790M gatekeeper site residue mutation (2). Osimertinib, a third generation irreversible EGFR TKI has been approved by the FDA to treat patients harboring the EGFR T790M mutation who have developed resistance to first- and second- generation EGFR TKIs (3). Recently, osimertinib was also approved for the front-line treatment of patients harboring EGFR mutations (4). Rociletinib is another irreversible inhibitor targeting the EGFR T790M mutation, which has minimal activity against wild-type EGFR. Both drugs have therapeutic benefits and have demonstrated activity in tumors with T790M-mediated resistance to other EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (5, 6). Further development of rociletinib was ceased in 2016 due to less than expected efficacy, poor brain penetration leading to tumor progression in brain tissues and off-target effects on IGFR activation leading to hyperglycemia (7, 8). Although 3rd-generation TKIs provide clinical benefit to most patients with EGFR mutations, some patients, demonstrating primary resistance, still do not respond to these inhibitors. Complete responses are rare, and all patients eventually develop resistance, suggesting primary and acquired resistance mechanisms decrease the efficacy of the drugs (9, 10). Genomic approaches have been used primarily to interrogate osimertinib resistance mechanisms (9, 11-15). Several mechanisms of osimertinib resistance have been identified (16), including novel second site EGFR mutations, activated bypass pathways such as MET amplification, HER2 amplification, RAS mutations, BRAF mutations, PIK3CA mutations, and novel fusion events (17). However, the resistance mechanism is complex and still not fully understood. Previously, we have used SILAC-based quantitative phosphoproteomics to identify the global dynamic modification which occur upon treatment of TKI-sensitive and -resistant lung adenocarcinoma cells with the 1st and 2nd generation EGFR TKIs, erlotinib and afatinib. Utilizing this strategy, we identified the targets of mutant EGFR signaling pathways responsible for TKI resistance, and possible off-target effects of the drugs (18, 19). In this study, we employed SILAC-based quantitative mass spectrometry to characterize alterations in the proteome and phosphoproteome which occur upon acquired resistance and sought to identify novel mechanisms of resistance to the third generation EGFR TKIs, osimertinib and rociletinib. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive 3rd generation EGFR TKI resistant proteome and phosphoproteome analysis resource available to date.