Project description:EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer patients disease demonstrates remarkable responses to EGFR targeted therapy, but inevitably they succumb to acquired resistance, which can be complex and difficult to treat. Analyzing acquired resistance through broad molecular testing is crucial to understanding the resistance mechanisms and developing new treatment options. We performed diverse clinical testing on a patient with successive stages of acquired resistance, first to an EGFR inhibitor with MET gene amplification and then subsequently to combination EGFR and MET targeted therapies. A patient-derived cell line obtained at the time of disease progression was used to identify NRAS gene amplification as an additional driver of drug resistance to combination EGFR/MET therapies. Analysis of downstream signaling revealed ERK activation that could only be eliminated by trametinib treatment, while Akt activation could be modulated by various combinations of MET, EGFR and PI3K inhibitors. Combination of an EGFR inhibitor with a MEK inhibitor was identified as a possible treatment option to overcome drug resistance related to NRAS gene amplification.
Project description:Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations have shown a dramatic response to EGFR inhibitors (EGFR-TKI). EGFR T790M mutation and MET amplification have been recognized as major mechanisms of acquired resistance to EGFR-TKI. Therefore, MET inhibitors have recently been used in NSCLC patients in clinical trials. In this study, we tried to identify the mechanism of acquired resistance to MET inhibitor. We analyzed the antitumor effects of two MET inhibitors, PHA-665752 and crizotinib, in 10 NSCLC cell lines. EBC1 cells with MET amplification were the only cells that were sensitive to both MET inhibitors. We established PHA-665752-resistant EBC1 cells, namely EBC1-R cells. EBC1-R cells showed overexpression of ATP-binding cassette sub-family B member 1 (ABCB1) as well as phosphorylation of MET. EBC1-R cells grew as cell spheres that exhibited cancer stem cell-like (CSC) properties and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). The levels of two miRNAs, miR-374a and miR-138 which targeted ABCB1, were decreased in EBC1-R cells. ABCB1 siRNA and ABCB1 inhibitor elacridar could reduce sphere numbers and suppress EMT. Elacridar could also reverse the resistance to PHA-665752 in EBC1-R cells. Our study demonstrated that ABCB1 overexpression which was associated with CSC properties and EMT was involved in the acquired resistance to MET inhibitor. Inhibition of ABCB1 might be a novel therapeutic strategy for NSCLC patients with acquired resistance to MET inhibitor.
Project description:Treatment with KRASG12C inhibitors such as sotorasib can produce substantial regression of tumors in some patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These patients require alternative treatment after acquiring resistance to the inhibitor. The mechanisms underlying this acquired resistance are unclear. The purpose of this study was to identify the mechanisms underlying acquired sotorasib resistance, and to explore potential treatments for rescuing patients with sotorasib-resistant KRASG12C NSCLC cells.
Project description:The onset of secondary resistance represents a major limitation to long term efficacy of target therapies in cancer patients. Thus, the identification of mechanisms mediating secondary resistance is key to the rational design of alternative therapeutic strategies for resistant patients. MiRNA profiling combined with RNA-seq in MET-addicted gastric and lung cancer cell lines led us to identify the miR-205/ERRFI1 (ERBB receptor feedback inhibitor-1) axis as a novel mediator of resistance to MET tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). In cells resistant to MET-TKIs, increased miR-205 expression determined the downregulation of the EGFR inhibitor ERRFI1, which, in turn, caused EGFR activation and MET-TKI resistance. MiR-205/ERRFI1 driven EGFR activation rendered MET-TKI resistant cells sensitive to combined MET/EGFR inhibition. As a proof of concept of the clinical relevance of this newly identified mechanism of adaptive resistance, we report that a patient with a MET amplified lung adenocarcinoma displayed deregulation of the miR-205/ERRFI1 axis in concomitance with the onset of clinical resistance to anti-MET therapy.
Project description:The non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line HCC827 harbors an activating EGFR mutation (exon 19 deletion) that confers sensitivity to the FDA-approved EGFR inhibitor erlotinib. By applying the ClonTracer barcoding system, we were able to show the presence of pre-existing sub-populations in HCC827 that contribute to erlotinib resistance. Prior studies implicated that MET amplification confers resistance to erlotinib in this cell line. Therefore we examined the effects of the c-Met inhibitor crizotinib on the barcoded HCC827 population when treated either sequentially or simultaneously with both inhibitors. Despite the significant reduction in barcode complexity, the erlotinib/crizotinib combination treatment failed to eradicate all of the resistant clones implying the presence of an erlotinib/crizotinib dual resistant subpopulation. We performed transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq) to elucidate the potential resistance mechanisms of the dual resistant subpopulation in comparison to vehicle-treated or single agent erlotinib-resistant HCC827 cell populations as controls. mRNA profiling of the subpopulations of human NSCLC cell line HCC827 that contribute to EGFR inhibitor erlotinib and MET inhibitor crizotinib resistance
Project description:Purpose: MET is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) that has been considered a druggable target in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To understand the mechanisms of resistance to MET-TKIs and establish therapeutic strategies, we developed an in vitro model using capmatinib-resistant cell lines (EBC-CR1, CR2, and CR3) derived from the MET-amplified NSCLC cell line EBC-1. Methods: We established capmatinib-resistant NSCLC cell lines from the MET-amplified NSCLC cell line EBC-1 and identified alternative signaling pathways using 3’mRNA sequencing and human phospho-RTK arrays. Copy number alterations were evaluated by quantitative PCR and cell proliferation assay; activation of RTKs and downstream effectors were compared between the parental cell line EBC-1 and the EBC-CR1, -CR2, and -CR3 resistant cell lines. Results: We found that epidermal growth factor (EGFR) mRNA expression and protein activation were increased in EBC-CR1–3 cells compared to EBC-1 cells. EBC-CR1 cells showed EGFR-dependent growth and sensitivity to afatinib, an irreversible EGFR TKI. EBC-CR2 cells, which overexpressed the EGFR-MET heterodimer, responded dramatically to the combination of capmatinib and the phosphoinositide-3 kinase catalytic subunit α (PIK3CA) inhibitor afatinib. In addition, EBC-CR3 cells, which had activated EGFR along with amplified PIK3CA, were sensitive to the combination of afatinib and the PI3Kα inhibitor. Conclusions: Our in vitro studies suggested that activation of EGFR signaling and/or genetic alteration of downstream effectors like PIK3CA were alternative resistance mechanisms used by capmatinib-resistant NSCLC cell lines. In addition, combined treatments with MET, EGFR, and PI3Kα inhibitors may be an effective therapeutic strategy in MET-TKI-resistant NSCLC patients.
Project description:Inhibition of ABCB1 Overcomes Cancer Stem Cell-like Properties and Acquired Resistance to MET inhibitor in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Project description:KRAS inhibitor-resistance in MET-amplified KRASG12C 1 non-small cell lung cancer induced by RAS- and non-RAS-mediated cell signaling mechanism
Project description:Activating mutations of EGFR have been characterized as important mechanisms for carcinogenesis in a subset of EGFR-dependent non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), such as erlotinib and gefitinib, have dramatic clinical effects on EGFR-addicted lung cancers and are used as first-line therapy for EGFR-mutant tumors. However, eventually all tumors acquire secondary resistance to the drugs and progress. We established a model to better understand mechanisms of acquired resistance. NCI- HCC827 cells are EGFR-mutant and highly erlotinib-sensitive. In this study we exposed HCC827 cells to increasing concentrations of erlotinib and two highly erlotinib-resistant subclones were developed (ER3 and T15-2). In these subclones no acquired alterations of EGFR or MET were found. We hereby performed a gene expression microarray studies to understand changes that might explain mechanisms of resistance. Through these studies we demonstrated in one resistant clone (ER3) overexpression of AXL, a tyrosine kinase implicated in imatinib and lapatinib resistance. Gene expression profilings were measured in NSCLC cell line HCC827 and two erlotinib-resistant HCC827-originated sublines ER3 and T15-2.