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Comparative gene expression profiling of parental A375 melanoma cells and a panel of spontaneously vemurafenib-resistant derivative cell lines

ABSTRACT: The use of selective BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) has produced remarkable outcomes for patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma harboring a BRAFV600E mutation. Unfortunately, the majority of patients eventually develop drug-resistant disease through a variety of mechanisms. We previously described the creation of a panel of spontaneously BRAFi/MEKi-resistant A375 melanoma cells that displayed multiple different resistance mechanisms arising within the same parental cell population. These resistance mechanisms include (i) rearrangements in the BRAF gene resulting in truncation of the N-terminal regulatory domain or tandem duplication of the BRAF kinase domain, (ii) loss of Ras-GAP NF1, and (iii) a slower arising form of drug resistance associated with a more spread cell morphology and increased phospho-MEK S298, a characteristic of cells with increased Rac1 signaling. We provide here comprehensive gene expression profiling for this panel of cell lines. Rac1 mutation, particularly the P29S variant, is common in melanoma patients, where it is associated with BRAFi/MEKi resistance and worse clinical outcomes. Here we delineate mechanisms of Rac1-driven MAPKi-resistance and identify strategies to inhibit the growth of this class of cutaneous melanomas. We find that Rac1-driven melanomas manifest pleiotropic resistance mechanisms including (i) reduced dependence on BRAF/MEK, (ii) activation of alternative MAPK pathways utilizing Jun kinase and p38 MAP kinase, and (iii) a partial reliance on YAP/TAZ signaling. Importantly, although Rac1-driven melanoma cells display reduced dependence on BRAF/MEK, they are not completely ERK-independent. Moreover, the presence of activated Rac1 appears to create a dependency on focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling in undifferentiated melanoma cells. As a result, we find that, despite the pleiotropic mechanisms of Rac1-driven MAPKi resistance, combined inhibition of MEK and FAK with avutometinib plus defactinib is a promising approach for suppressing the growth of Rac1-driven cells. Thus, the avutometinib plus defactinib combination, which is currently being investigated for brain metastatic cutaneous melanoma may also have utility against Rac1-driven MAPKi-resistance in heavily pre-treated, advanced disease.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE285131 | GEO | 2024/12/26

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Nearly 50% of cutaneous melanomas carry activating mutations on the BRAF oncogene, and the combination of BRAF- and MEK-inhibitors (BRAF/MEKi) is frequently used for their clinical management. One major drawback of BRAF/MEKi targeted therapy is the rapid development of therapeutic resistance, which can occur via multiple mechanisms, including the metabolic rewiring of cancer cells that often involves the upregulation of mitochondrial bionergetics and NAD+ biosynthetic pathways. mTORC2 is a signaling complex that requires the presence of its essential RICTOR subunit to play its regulatory functions in cell growth and metabolism. mTORC2 is believed to play mostly pro-oncogenic roles in several tumor types, including melanoma. However, bioinformatics analysis of TCGA melanoma patients’ database revealed that low RICTOR levels in tumors correlate with an overall worse clinical outcome. GSEA analysis of low-RICTOR tumors evidenced also a gene expression signature suggestive of activation of mitochondrial energy producing pathways. On these bases, we have hypothesized that inhibition of mTORC2 activity may render BRAFV600E melanoma cells resistant to BRAFi/MEKi. We show here that RICTOR/mTORC2-deficient cells are intrinsically tolerant to BRAFi/MEKi, and anticipate the onset of resistance to BRAFi after sustained drug exposure both in vitro and in vivo, indicating that mTORC2 activity normally opposes the acquisition of targeted therapy resistance in BRAFV600E melanomas. Mechanistically, RICTOR-deficient cells show an enhanced mitochondrial respiratory potential and increased expression of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) protein, the rate-limiting enzyme of NAD+ salvage pathway, and pharmacological inhibition of these processes in RICTOR-deficient cells is sufficient to restore sensitivity to BRAFi. Thus, our work identifies a novel role for mTORC2 in favoring the responses of BRAF-mutated melanoma cells to targeted therapy, and suggest that the evaluation of the intratumor level of RICTOR may help to predict the responses of melanoma patients to these treatments.

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Comparative gene expression profiling of parental A375 melanoma cells and a panel of spontaneously vemurafenib-resistant derivative cell lines

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