Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) play diverse roles in the control of cell proliferation, cell differentiation, angiogenesis and development. Activating the mutations of FGFR s in the ...germline has long been known to cause a variety of skeletal developmental disorders, but it is only recently that a similar spectrum of somatic FGFR mutations has been associated with human cancers. Many of these somatic mutations are gain-of-function and oncogenic and create dependencies in tumor cell lines harboring such mutations. A combination of knockdown studies and pharmaceutical inhibition in preclinical models has further substantiated genomically altered FGFR as a therapeutic target in cancer, and the oncology community is responding with clinical trials evaluating multikinase inhibitors with anti-FGFR activity and a new generation of specific pan-FGFR inhibitors.
Lung cancers caused by activating mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are initially responsive to small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), but the efficacy of these ...agents is often limited because of the emergence of drug resistance conferred by a second mutation, T790M. Threonine 790 is the "gatekeeper" residue, an important determinant of inhibitor specificity in the ATP binding pocket. The T790M mutation has been thought to cause resistance by sterically blocking binding of TKIs such as gefitinib and erlotinib, but this explanation is difficult to reconcile with the fact that it remains sensitive to structurally similar irreversible inhibitors. Here, we show by using a direct binding assay that T790M mutants retain low-nanomolar affinity for gefitinib. Furthermore, we show that the T790M mutation activates WT EGFR and that introduction of the T790M mutation increases the ATP affinity of the oncogenic L858R mutant by more than an order of magnitude. The increased ATP affinity is the primary mechanism by which the T790M mutation confers drug resistance. Crystallographic analysis of the T790M mutant shows how it can adapt to accommodate tight binding of diverse inhibitors, including the irreversible inhibitor HKI-272, and also suggests a structural mechanism for catalytic activation. We conclude that the T790M mutation is a "generic" resistance mutation that will reduce the potency of any ATP-competitive kinase inhibitor and that irreversible inhibitors overcome this resistance simply through covalent binding, not as a result of an alternative binding mode.
Velcrins are molecular glues that induce complex formation between PDE3A and SLFN12. The PDE3A-SLFN12 complex activates the SLFN12 RNase, resulting in cleavage of the specific substrate, ...tRNA-Leu-TAA, global inhibition of translation, and death of cells expressing sufficient levels of both proteins. Here, unanswered questions about the mechanism of action and therapeutic promise of velcrin compounds are discussed.
Velcrins are molecular glues that induce complex formation between PDE3A and SLFN12. The PDE3A-SLFN12 complex activates the SLFN12 RNase, resulting in cleavage of the specific substrate, tRNA-Leu-TAA, global inhibition of translation, and death of cells expressing sufficient levels of both proteins. Here, unanswered questions about the mechanism of action and therapeutic promise of velcrin compounds are discussed.
Medulloblastomas are heterogeneous tumors that collectively represent the most common malignant brain tumor in children. To understand the molecular characteristics underlying their heterogeneity and ...to identify whether such characteristics represent risk factors for patients with this disease, we performed an integrated genomic analysis of a large series of primary tumors.
We profiled the mRNA transcriptome of 194 medulloblastomas and performed high-density single nucleotide polymorphism array and miRNA analysis on 115 and 98 of these, respectively. Non-negative matrix factorization-based clustering of mRNA expression data was used to identify molecular subgroups of medulloblastoma; DNA copy number, miRNA profiles, and clinical outcomes were analyzed for each. We additionally validated our findings in three previously published independent medulloblastoma data sets.
Identified are six molecular subgroups of medulloblastoma, each with a unique combination of numerical and structural chromosomal aberrations that globally influence mRNA and miRNA expression. We reveal the relative contribution of each subgroup to clinical outcome as a whole and show that a previously unidentified molecular subgroup, characterized genetically by c-MYC copy number gains and transcriptionally by enrichment of photoreceptor pathways and increased miR-183∼96∼182 expression, is associated with significantly lower rates of event-free and overall survivals.
Our results detail the complex genomic heterogeneity of medulloblastomas and identify a previously unrecognized molecular subgroup with poor clinical outcome for which more effective therapeutic strategies should be developed.
Squamous cell lung carcinomas account for approximately 25% of new lung carcinoma cases and 40,000 deaths per year in the United States. Although there are multiple genomically targeted therapies for ...lung adenocarcinoma, none has yet been reported in squamous cell lung carcinoma.
Using SNP array analysis, we found that a region of chromosome segment 8p11-12 containing three genes-WHSC1L1, LETM2, and FGFR1-is amplified in 3% of lung adenocarcinomas and 21% of squamous cell lung carcinomas. Furthermore, we demonstrated that a non-small cell lung carcinoma cell line harboring focal amplification of FGFR1 is dependent on FGFR1 activity for cell growth, as treatment of this cell line either with FGFR1-specific shRNAs or with FGFR small molecule enzymatic inhibitors leads to cell growth inhibition.
These studies show that FGFR1 amplification is common in squamous cell lung cancer, and that FGFR1 may represent a promising therapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer.
PDE3A-SLFN12 complex formation activates the SLFN12 RNase, but the biochemical details of RNase activation remain mysterious. In this issue of Cell Chemical Biology, Yan and colleagues report that ...two phosphoserines on SLFN12 are dephosphorylated in response to PDE3A binding, and this dephosphorylation is required for activation of the SLFN12 RNase.
PDE3A-SLFN12 complex formation activates the SLFN12 RNase, but the biochemical details of RNase activation remain mysterious. In this issue of Cell Chemical Biology, Yan and colleagues report that two phosphoserines on SLFN12 are dephosphorylated in response to PDE3A binding, and this dephosphorylation is required for activation of the SLFN12 RNase.
Abstract
DNMDP and related compounds, or velcrins, induce complex formation between the phosphodiesterase PDE3A and the SLFN12 protein, leading to a cytotoxic response in cancer cells that express ...elevated levels of both proteins. The mechanisms by which velcrins induce complex formation, and how the PDE3A-SLFN12 complex causes cancer cell death, are not fully understood. Here, we show that PDE3A and SLFN12 form a heterotetramer stabilized by binding of DNMDP. Interactions between the C-terminal alpha helix of SLFN12 and residues near the active site of PDE3A are required for complex formation, and are further stabilized by interactions between SLFN12 and DNMDP. Moreover, we demonstrate that SLFN12 is an RNase, that PDE3A binding increases SLFN12 RNase activity, and that SLFN12 RNase activity is required for DNMDP response. This new mechanistic understanding will facilitate development of velcrin compounds into new cancer therapies.
Soft-tissue sarcomas, which result in approximately 10,700 diagnoses and 3,800 deaths per year in the United States, show remarkable histologic diversity, with more than 50 recognized subtypes. ...However, knowledge of their genomic alterations is limited. We describe an integrative analysis of DNA sequence, copy number and mRNA expression in 207 samples encompassing seven major subtypes. Frequently mutated genes included TP53 (17% of pleomorphic liposarcomas), NF1 (10.5% of myxofibrosarcomas and 8% of pleomorphic liposarcomas) and PIK3CA (18% of myxoid/round-cell liposarcomas, or MRCs). PIK3CA mutations in MRCs were associated with Akt activation and poor clinical outcomes. In myxofibrosarcomas and pleomorphic liposarcomas, we found both point mutations and genomic deletions affecting the tumor suppressor NF1. Finally, we found that short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-based knockdown of several genes amplified in dedifferentiated liposarcoma, including CDK4 and YEATS4, decreased cell proliferation. Our study yields a detailed map of molecular alterations across diverse sarcoma subtypes and suggests potential subtype-specific targets for therapy.
Somatic mutations of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) occur in ~3% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Here, through systematic functional screening of 21 recurrent EGFR mutations selected ...from public data sets, we show that 11 colon cancer‐derived EGFR mutants (G63R, E114K, R165Q, R222C, S492R, P596L, K708R, E709K, G719S, G724S and L858R) are oncogenic and able to transform cells in a ligand‐independent manner. We demonstrate that cellular transformation by these mutants requires receptor dimerization. Importantly, the EGF‐induced and constitutive oncogenic potential of these EGFR mutants are inhibited by cetuximab or panitumumab in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, we propose that a subset of EGFR mutations can serve as genomic predictors for response to anti‐EGFR antibodies and that metastatic CRC patients with such mutations may benefit from these drugs as part of the first‐line therapy.
What's new?
Treating metastatic colorectal cancer patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐directed monoclonal antibodies is promising, but achieves a clinical response in only 10–20% of unselected patients. The authors identified a subset of somatic EGFR mutations that are oncogenic in colorectal adenocarcinoma models and sensitive to EGFR‐directed antibody treatment. These EGFR mutations may serve as predictors for response to anti‐EGFR antibodies in colorectal adenocarcinoma.
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