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Park JJ, Hamad SA, Stewart A, Carlino MS, Lim SY, Rizos H. PKC-independent PI3K signalling diminishes PKC inhibitor sensitivity in uveal melanoma. Oncogenesis 2024; 13:9. [PMID: 38418838 PMCID: PMC10902289 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-024-00511-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein kinase C (PKC) is activated downstream of gain-of-function GNAQ or GNA11 (GNAQ/GNA11) mutations in over 90% of uveal melanoma (UM). Phase I clinical trials of PKC inhibitors have shown modest response rates with no survival benefit in metastatic UM. Although PKC inhibitors actively suppress mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling in UM, the effect on other UM signalling cascades is not well understood. We examined the transcriptome of UM biopsies collected pre- and post-PKC inhibitor therapy and confirmed that MAPK, but not PI3K/AKT signalling, was inhibited early during treatment with the second-generation PKC inhibitor IDE196. Similarly, in GNAQ/GNA11-mutant UM cell models, PKC inhibitor monotherapy effectively suppressed MAPK activity, but PI3K/AKT signalling remained active, and thus, concurrent inhibition of PKC and PI3K/AKT signalling was required to synergistically induce cell death in a panel of GNAQ/GNA11-mutant UM cell lines. We also show that re-activation of MAPK signalling has a dominant role in regulating PKC inhibitor responses in UM and that PI3K/AKT signalling diminishes UM cell sensitivity to PKC inhibitor monotherapy. Thus, combination therapies targeting PKC and PKC-independent signalling nodes, including PI3K/AKT activity, are required to improve responses in patients with metastatic UM.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Park
- Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Human and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sabine Abou Hamad
- Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Human and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ashleigh Stewart
- Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Human and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Matteo S Carlino
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Medical Oncology, Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Su Yin Lim
- Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Human and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Helen Rizos
- Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Human and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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PI3K/mTOR Dual Inhibitor Pictilisib Stably Binds to Site I of Human Serum Albumin as Observed by Computer Simulation, Multispectroscopic, and Microscopic Studies. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27165071. [PMID: 36014303 PMCID: PMC9413508 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27165071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Pictilisib (GDC-0941) is a well-known dual inhibitor of class I PI3K and mTOR and is presently undergoing phase 2 clinical trials for cancer treatment. The present work investigated the dynamic behaviors and interaction mechanism between GDC-0941 and human serum albumin (HSA). Molecular docking and MD trajectory analyses revealed that GDC-0941 bound to HSA and that the binding site was positioned in subdomain IIA at Sudlow’s site I of HSA. The fluorescence intensity of HSA was strongly quenched by GDC-0941, and results showed that the HSA–GDC-0941 interaction was a static process caused by ground-state complex formation. The association constant of the HSA–GDC-0941 complex was approximately 105 M−1, reflecting moderate affinity. Thermodynamic analysis conclusions were identical with MD simulation results, which revealed that van der Waals interactions were the vital forces involved in the binding process. CD, synchronous, and 3D fluorescence spectroscopic results revealed that GDC-0941 induced the structural change in HSA. Moreover, the conformational change of HSA affected its molecular sizes, as evidenced by AFM. This work provides a useful research strategy for exploring the interaction of GDC-0941 with HSA, thus helping in the understanding of the transport and delivery of dual inhibitors in the blood circulation system.
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Bendall ML, Francis JH, Shoushtari AN, Nixon DF. Specific human endogenous retroviruses predict metastatic potential in uveal melanoma. JCI Insight 2022; 7:e147172. [PMID: 35349481 PMCID: PMC9090245 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.147172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM) is a unique disease in that patients with primary UM are well stratified based on their risk of developing metastasis, yet there are limited effective treatments once metastases occur. There is an urgent need to better understand the distinct molecular pathogenesis of UM and the characteristics of patients at high risk for metastasis to identify neoantigenic targets that can be used in immunotherapy and to develop novel therapeutic strategies that may effectively target this lethal transition. An important and overlooked area of molecular pathogenesis and neoantigenic targets in UM comes from human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). We investigated the HERV expression landscape in primary UM and found that tumors were stratified into 4 HERV-based subsets that provide clear delineation of risk outcome and support subtypes identified by other molecular indicators. Specific HERV loci are associated with the risk of uveal melanoma metastasis and may offer mechanistic insights into this process, including dysregulation of HERVs on chromosomes 3 and 8. A HERV signature composed of 17 loci was sufficient to classify tumors according to subtype with greater than 95% accuracy, including at least 1 intergenic HERV with coding potential (HERVE_Xp11.23) that could represent a potential HERV E target for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew L. Bendall
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Alexander N. Shoushtari
- Melanoma Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Douglas F. Nixon
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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