In:
Cancer Research, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Vol. 74, No. 11 ( 2014-06-01), p. 3146-3156
Abstract:
Although several groups have demonstrated that concomitant use of MEK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors (MEKi/PI3Ki) can induce dramatic tumor regressions in mouse models of KRAS-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ongoing clinical trials investigating this strategy have been underwhelming to date. While efficacy may be hampered by a narrow therapeutic index, the contribution of biologic heterogeneity in the response of KRAS-mutant NSCLCs to MEKi/PI3Ki has been largely unexplored. In this study, we find that most human KRAS-mutant NSCLC cell lines fail to undergo marked apoptosis in response to MEKi/PI3Ki, which is key for tumor responsiveness in vivo. This heterogeneity of apoptotic response occurs despite relatively uniform induction of growth arrest. Using a targeted short hairpin RNA screen of BCL-2 family members, we identify BIM, PUMA, and BCL-XL as key regulators of the apoptotic response induced by MEKi/PI3Ki, with decreased expression of BIM and PUMA relative to BCL-XL in cell lines with intrinsic resistance. In addition, by modeling adaptive resistance to MEKi/PI3Ki both in vitro and in vivo, we find that, upon the development of resistance, tumors have a diminished apoptotic response due to downregulation of BIM and PUMA. These results suggest that the inability to induce apoptosis may limit the effectiveness of MEKi/PI3Ki for KRAS-mutant NSCLCs by contributing to intrinsic and adaptive resistance to this therapy. Cancer Res; 74(11); 3146–56. ©2014 AACR.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0008-5472
,
1538-7445
DOI:
10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-13-3728
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Publication Date:
2014
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2036785-5
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1432-1
