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Wittlinger F, Ogboo BC, Shevchenko E, Damghani T, Pham CD, Schaeffner IK, Oligny BT, Chitnis SP, Beyett TS, Rasch A, Buckley B, Urul DA, Shaurova T, May EW, Schaefer EM, Eck MJ, Hershberger PA, Poso A, Laufer SA, Heppner DE. Linking ATP and allosteric sites to achieve superadditive binding with bivalent EGFR kinase inhibitors. Commun Chem 2024; 7:38. [PMID: 38378740 PMCID: PMC10879502 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-024-01108-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Bivalent molecules consisting of groups connected through bridging linkers often exhibit strong target binding and unique biological effects. However, developing bivalent inhibitors with the desired activity is challenging due to the dual motif architecture of these molecules and the variability that can be introduced through differing linker structures and geometries. We report a set of alternatively linked bivalent EGFR inhibitors that simultaneously occupy the ATP substrate and allosteric pockets. Crystal structures show that initial and redesigned linkers bridging a trisubstituted imidazole ATP-site inhibitor and dibenzodiazepinone allosteric-site inhibitor proved successful in spanning these sites. The re-engineered linker yielded a compound that exhibited significantly higher potency (~60 pM) against the drug-resistant EGFR L858R/T790M and L858R/T790M/C797S, which was superadditive as compared with the parent molecules. The enhanced potency is attributed to factors stemming from the linker connection to the allosteric-site group and informs strategies to engineer linkers in bivalent agent design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Wittlinger
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Blessing C Ogboo
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Ekaterina Shevchenko
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies" Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery & Development (TüCAD2), 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tahereh Damghani
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Calvin D Pham
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Ilse K Schaeffner
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Brandon T Oligny
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Surbhi P Chitnis
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Tyler S Beyett
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, 5119 Rollins Research Center, 1510 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Alexander Rasch
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Brian Buckley
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Daniel A Urul
- AssayQuant Technologies, Inc., Marlboro, MA, 01752, USA
| | - Tatiana Shaurova
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Earl W May
- AssayQuant Technologies, Inc., Marlboro, MA, 01752, USA
| | | | - Michael J Eck
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Pamela A Hershberger
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Antti Poso
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies" Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery & Development (TüCAD2), 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, 70210, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Stefan A Laufer
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies" Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery & Development (TüCAD2), 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - David E Heppner
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA.
- Department of Structural Biology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
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Heppner D, Wittlinger F, Ogboo B, Shevchenko E, Damghani T, Pham C, Schaeffner I, Oligny B, Chitnis S, Beyett T, Rasch A, Buckley B, Urul D, Shaurova T, May E, Schaefer E, Eck M, Hershberger P, Poso A, Laufer S. Linking ATP and allosteric sites to achieve superadditive binding with bivalent EGFR kinase inhibitors. Res Sq 2023:rs.3.rs-3286949. [PMID: 37790373 PMCID: PMC10543509 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3286949/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Bivalent molecules consisting of groups connected through bridging linkers often exhibit strong target binding and unique biological effects. However, developing bivalent inhibitors with the desired activity is challenging due to the dual motif architecture of these molecules and the variability that can be introduced through differing linker structures and geometries. We report a set of alternatively linked bivalent EGFR inhibitors that simultaneously occupy the ATP substrate and allosteric pockets. Crystal structures show that initial and redesigned linkers bridging a trisubstituted imidazole ATP-site inhibitor and dibenzodiazepinone allosteric-site inhibitor proved successful in spanning these sites. The reengineered linker yielded a compound that exhibited significantly higher potency (~60 pM) against the drug-resistant EGFR L858R/T790M and L858R/T790M/C797S, which was superadditive as compared with the parent molecules. The enhanced potency is attributed to factors stemming from the linker connection to the allosteric-site group and informs strategies to engineer linkers in bivalent agent design.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Michael Eck
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School
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Shaurova T, Yan L, Su Y, Rich LJ, Vincent-Chong VK, Calkins H, Pokharel S, Petkovich M, Seshadri M, Wu Y, Hershberger PA. A nanotherapeutic strategy to target drug-tolerant cells and overcome EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance in lung cancer. Cancer Commun (Lond) 2023; 43:503-507. [PMID: 36691995 PMCID: PMC10091104 DOI: 10.1002/cac2.12401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Shaurova
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Lingyue Yan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Yafei Su
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Laurie James Rich
- Cell Stress and Biophysical Oncology Graduate Program, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA.,Fujifilm-VisualSonics Corporation, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vui King Vincent-Chong
- Department of Oral Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Hannah Calkins
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Saraswati Pokharel
- Department of Pathology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Martin Petkovich
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Medicine, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mukund Seshadri
- Department of Oral Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Yun Wu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Pamela Anne Hershberger
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
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Heppner DE, Wittlinger F, Beyett TS, Shaurova T, Urul DA, Buckley B, Pham CD, Schaeffner IK, Yang B, Ogboo BC, May EW, Schaefer EM, Eck MJ, Laufer SA, Hershberger PA. Structural Basis for Inhibition of Mutant EGFR with Lazertinib (YH25448). ACS Med Chem Lett 2022; 13:1856-1863. [DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.2c00213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David E. Heppner
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York 14203, United States
| | - Florian Wittlinger
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tyler S. Beyett
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Tatiana Shaurova
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York 14203, United States
| | - Daniel A. Urul
- AssayQuant Technologies, Inc., 260 Cedar Hill St., Marlboro, Massachusetts 01752, United States
| | - Brian Buckley
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York 14203, United States
| | - Calvin D. Pham
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
| | - Ilse K. Schaeffner
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Bo Yang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Blessing C. Ogboo
- Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
| | - Earl W. May
- AssayQuant Technologies, Inc., 260 Cedar Hill St., Marlboro, Massachusetts 01752, United States
| | - Erik M. Schaefer
- AssayQuant Technologies, Inc., 260 Cedar Hill St., Marlboro, Massachusetts 01752, United States
| | - Michael J. Eck
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Stefan A. Laufer
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies”, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery & Development (TüCAD2), 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Pamela A. Hershberger
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York 14203, United States
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Calkins H, Shaurova T, Goodrich DW, Seshadri M, Johnson CS, Hershberger PA. Abstract 1093: BRD9 inhibition overcomes epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) tolerance in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant lung cancer. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-1093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Advanced lung cancer patients that present with activating mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR TKIs). While initially effective, all patients eventually develop therapeutic resistance and experience disease progression. Strategies to prevent EGFR TKI resistance are needed to improve patient outcomes. We chronically exposed H1975 cells (EGFR-L858R/T790M) to EGFR TKI osimertinib to study emergence of resistance. H1975 cells that were expanded under drug treatment (designated H1975OR) acquired an EMT phenotype and were re-sensitized to EGFR TKI upon prolonged drug withdrawal. These features led us to classify H1975OR as a model of drug tolerance rather than a model of stable drug resistance. Bulk RNA-sequencing revealed significant dysregulation of chromatin modifying genes in H1975OR. Bromodomain containing protein 9 (BRD9) was among the set of significantly upregulated chromatin regulators and was selected for further investigation as a mediator of drug tolerance. Although BRD9 is known to control stemness and EMT, its role in promoting EMT-associated TKI resistance is unknown. To test the contribution of BRD9 to EGFR TKI tolerance, pharmacological inhibition of BRD9 by the selective inhibitor, I-BRD9 significantly increased sensitivity to TKI in models with EMT phenotypes (IC50 reduced 3-4 fold). In contrast, I-BRD9 did not affect TKI sensitivity in two models where EGFR TKI resistance was genetically fixed. To gain mechanistic insights, H1975OR cells were treated with osimertinib +/-I-BRD9 and subjected to RNA-sequencing. Combination of osimertinib with I-BRD9 resulted in a significant decrease in EMT-related genes, including MMP9, Zeb2, PDGFRb and IL6. Further, use of I-BRD9 in these models diminished the mesenchymal phenotype, as measured in cell invasion assays. Genetic knockdown of BRD9 via shRNA phenocopied effects of I-BRD9 treatment, supporting BRD9 as the therapeutic target of I-BRD9 in our cell line models. To further establish a role for BRD9 in the emergence of drug tolerant cells, we exposed treatment naïve H1975 cells to EGFR TKI ± I-BRD9. I-BRD9 significantly decreased the size of the EGFR TKI tolerant population. In time course studies, I-BRD9 also delayed onset of TKI resistance. In conclusion, our data identifies BRD9 as a novel mediator of EMT-associated EGFR-TKI tolerance in EGFR-mutant lung cancer. Our data further implicates BRD9 inhibition as a novel strategy to delay the emergence of drug tolerant cells that eventually give rise to stable drug resistance. This work was supported by the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation and National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant P30CA016056 involving the use of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Genomics and Bioinformatics Shared Resources.
Citation Format: Hannah Calkins, Tatiana Shaurova, David W. Goodrich, Mukund Seshadri, Candace S. Johnson, Pamela A. Hershberger. BRD9 inhibition overcomes epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) tolerance in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1093.
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Shaurova T, Zhang L, Goodrich DW, Hershberger PA. Understanding Lineage Plasticity as a Path to Targeted Therapy Failure in EGFR-Mutant Non-small Cell Lung Cancer. Front Genet 2020; 11:281. [PMID: 32292420 PMCID: PMC7121227 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Somatic alterations in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) result in aberrant activation of kinase signaling and occur in ∼15% of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Patients diagnosed with EGFR-mutant NSCLC have good initial clinical response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR TKIs), yet tumor recurrence is common and quick to develop. Mechanisms of acquired resistance to EGFR TKIs have been studied extensively over the past decade. Great progress has been made in understanding two major routes of therapeutic failure: additional genomic alterations in the EGFR gene and activation of alternative kinase signaling (so-called “bypass activation”). Several pharmacological agents aimed at overcoming these modes of EGFR TKI resistance are FDA-approved or under clinical development. Phenotypic transformation, a less common and less well understood mechanism of EGFR TKI resistance is yet to be addressed in the clinic. In the context of acquired EGFR TKI resistance, phenotypic transformation encompasses epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), transformation of adenocarcinoma of the lung (LUAD) to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or small cell lung cancer (SCLC). SCLC transformation, or neuroendocrine differentiation, has been linked to inactivation of TP53 and RB1 signaling. However, the exact mechanism that permits lineage switching needs further investigation. Recent reports indicate that LUAD and SCLC have a common cell of origin, and that trans-differentiation occurs under the right conditions. Options for therapeutic targeting of EGFR-mutant SCLC are limited currently to conventional genotoxic chemotherapy. Similarly, the basis of EMT-associated resistance is not clear. EMT is a complex process that can be characterized by a spectrum of intermediate states with diverse expression of epithelial and mesenchymal factors. In the context of acquired resistance to EGFR TKIs, EMT frequently co-occurs with bypass activation, making it challenging to determine the exact contribution of EMT to therapeutic failure. Reversibility of EMT-associated resistance points toward its epigenetic origin, with additional adjustments, such as genetic alterations and bypass activation, occurring later during disease progression. This review will discuss the mechanistic basis for EGFR TKI resistance linked to phenotypic transformation, as well as challenges and opportunities in addressing this type of targeted therapy resistance in EGFR-mutant NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Shaurova
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Letian Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - David W Goodrich
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Pamela A Hershberger
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, United States
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Shaurova T, Dy GK, Battaglia S, Hutson A, Zhang L, Zhang Y, Lovly CM, Seshadri M, Goodrich DW, Johnson CS, Hershberger PA. Vitamin D3 Metabolites Demonstrate Prognostic Value in EGFR-Mutant Lung Adenocarcinoma and Can be Deployed to Oppose Acquired Therapeutic Resistance. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12030675. [PMID: 32183160 PMCID: PMC7140110 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12030675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR TKIs) are the standard of care treatment for patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Although initially effective, EGFR TKIs are not curative. Disease inevitably relapses due to acquired drug resistance. We hypothesized that vitamin D metabolites could be used with EGFR TKIs to prevent therapeutic failure. To test this idea, we investigated the link between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with EGFR-mutant LUAD that received EGFR TKIs (erlotinib n = 20 and afatinib n = 1). Patients who were 25(OH)D3-sufficient experienced significantly longer benefit from EGFR TKI therapy (mean 14.5 months) than those with 25(OH)D3 insufficiency (mean 10.6 months, p = 0.026). In contrast, 25(OH)D3 had no prognostic value in patients with KRAS-mutant LUAD that received cytotoxic chemotherapy. To gain mechanistic insights, we tested 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) activity in vitro. 1,25(OH)2D3 promoted epithelial differentiation and restored EGFR TKI sensitivity in models of EGFR TKI resistance that were associated with epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). 1,25(OH)2D3 was ineffective in a non-EMT model of resistance. We conclude that vitamin D sufficiency portends increased PFS among EGFR-mutant LUAD patients that receive EGFR TKIs, and that vitamin D signaling maintains drug efficacy in this specific patient subset by opposing EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Shaurova
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA; (T.S.); (L.Z.); (D.W.G.); (C.S.J.)
| | - Grace K Dy
- Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA;
| | - Sebastiano Battaglia
- Center for Immunotherapy, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA;
| | - Alan Hutson
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA;
| | - Letian Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA; (T.S.); (L.Z.); (D.W.G.); (C.S.J.)
| | - Yunkai Zhang
- Department of Medicine and Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; (Y.Z.); (C.M.L.)
| | - Christine M Lovly
- Department of Medicine and Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; (Y.Z.); (C.M.L.)
| | - Mukund Seshadri
- Department of Oral Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA;
| | - David W Goodrich
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA; (T.S.); (L.Z.); (D.W.G.); (C.S.J.)
| | - Candace S Johnson
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA; (T.S.); (L.Z.); (D.W.G.); (C.S.J.)
| | - Pamela A Hershberger
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA; (T.S.); (L.Z.); (D.W.G.); (C.S.J.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-716-845-1697
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Liu C, Shaurova T, Shoemaker S, Petkovich M, Hershberger PA, Wu Y. Tumor-Targeted Nanoparticles Deliver a Vitamin D-Based Drug Payload for the Treatment of EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-Resistant Lung Cancer. Mol Pharm 2018; 15:3216-3226. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b00307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chang Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
| | - Tatiana Shaurova
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York 14263, United States
| | - Suzanne Shoemaker
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York 14263, United States
| | - Martin Petkovich
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Pamela A. Hershberger
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York 14263, United States
| | - Yun Wu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
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Shaurova T, Shoemaker SF, Hershberger PA. Abstract 4674: Vitamin D enhances erlotinib response in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. Cancer Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-4674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background. Despite remarkable initial therapeutic responses, most patients develop resistance to the first generation of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), erlotinib and gefitinib, within one year of treatment initiation. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is one of the key mechanisms of resistance to EGFR TKIs. We recently demonstrated that vitamin D promotes epithelial phenotype in NSCLC cells. We hypothesized that we could prevent/overcome EMT-driven resistance by combining vitamin D with EGFR TKIs.
Methods. EGFR-mutant, erlotinib sensitive HCC827 cells were treated with: vehicle control, 100nM 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3), 1ng/ml TGF-β, or 1,25(OH)2D3+TGF-β for 14 days. Expression of EMT markers was determined by q-RT PCR and immunoblot. Sensitivity to erlotinib was analyzed by MTT assay. For the in-vivo study, HCC 827 tumor xenografts were established in vitamin-D deficient mice. Mice were stratified based on tumor volume to receive diets containing 25 IU vitamin D3/kg (deficient) or 10,000 IU vitamin D3/kg (supplemented). Erlotinib treatment (12.5 mg/kg) was initiated two weeks after the diet switch and administered 5 days per week for the duration of the study. Tumors were collected two weeks after the diet switch (baseline), 48 hours after the erlotinib initiation (acute response) and upon treatment failure (outgrowth).
Results. Vitamin D attenuated expression of mesenchymal markers in the presence of TGF-β in-vitro and opposed TGF-β driven resistance to erlotinib. Erlotinib EC50 values were 9.85 nM, 122 nM and 3.83 nM for vehicle, TGF-β, and 1,25(OH)2D3+TGF-β treated cells, respectively. In-vivo, vitamin D supplementation enhanced acute response to erlotinib. We documented a greater decrease in tumor volume after 48h of erlotinib initiation (1.1% of baseline ±19.3% in vitamin D deficient diet and 25.9% ±29.5% in supplemented diet). Greater efficacy was accompanied by increased suppression of STAT3 phosphorylation and decreased vimentin expression in the vitamin D supplemented group. Although we observed a trend towards a longer progression-free survival in animals maintained on vitamin D supplemented diet (8 vs 5.5 weeks), statistical significance was not achieved. The outgrowth tumors in both groups maintained their epithelial phenotype but exhibited a significant increase in the expression of AXL tyrosine kinase. However, outgrowth tumors from the vitamin D supplemented group had lower AXL expression than those from the vitamin D deficient group.
Conclusion. Vitamin D supports epithelial phenotype in-vitro and enhances acute response to erlotinib in-vivo, possibly, by suppressing STAT3 signaling. Vitamin D supplementation also attenuates overexpression of AXL tyrosine kinase in erlotinib resistant tumors. The clinical implication of our work is that patients diagnosed with EGFR mutant NSCLC who receive erlotinib may benefit from vitamin D supplementation.
Citation Format: Tatiana Shaurova, Suzanne F. Shoemaker, Pamela A. Hershberger. Vitamin D enhances erlotinib response in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4674.
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Bothwell KD, Shaurova T, Merzianu M, Suresh A, Kuriakose MA, Johnson CS, Hershberger PA, Seshadri M. Impact of Short-term 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on the Chemopreventive Efficacy of Erlotinib against Oral Cancer. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2015; 8:765-76. [PMID: 26100522 DOI: 10.1158/1940-6207.capr-14-0454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway is an early event in head and neck carcinogenesis. As a result, targeting EGFR for chemoprevention of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) has received considerable attention. In the present study, we examined the impact of 1,25(OH)2D3, the active metabolite of the nutritional supplement vitamin D on the chemopreventive efficacy of the EGFR inhibitor, erlotinib, against HNSCC. Experimental studies were conducted in patient-derived xenografts (PDX) and the 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO) carcinogen-induced model of HNSCC. Short-term treatment (4 weeks) of PDX-bearing mice with 1,25(OH)2D3 and erlotinib resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth. Noninvasive MRI enabled longitudinal monitoring of disease progression in the 4NQO model with 100% of control animals showing evidence of neoplastic lesions by 24 weeks. Among the experimental groups, animals treated with the combination regimen showed the greatest reduction in tumor incidence and volume (P < 0.05). Combination treatment was well tolerated and was not associated with any significant change in body weight. Histopathologic assessment revealed a significant reduction in the degree of dysplasia with combination treatment. Immunoblot analysis of whole tongue extracts showed downregulation of phospho-EGFR and phospho-Akt with the combination regimen. These results highlight the potential of 1,25(OH)2D3 to augment the efficacy of erlotinib against HNSCC. Further optimization of schedule and sequence of this combination regimen along with investigation into the activity of less calcemic analogues or dietary vitamin D is essential to fully realize the potential of this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Amritha Suresh
- Roswell Park-Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Center Collaborative Research Program
| | - Moni A Kuriakose
- Department of Oral Medicine and Head and Neck Surgery, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York
| | | | | | - Mukund Seshadri
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Roswell Park-Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Center Collaborative Research Program. Department of Oral Medicine and Head and Neck Surgery, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York.
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