Intrinsic Resistance to MEK Inhibition in KRAS Mutant Lung and Colon Cancer through Transcriptional Induction of ERBB3

Summary There are no effective therapies for the ∼30% of human malignancies with mutant RAS oncogenes. Using a kinome-centered synthetic lethality screen, we find that suppression of the ERBB3 receptor tyrosine kinase sensitizes KRAS mutant lung and colon cancer cells to MEK inhibitors. We show that MEK inhibition results in MYC-dependent transcriptional upregulation of ERBB3, which is responsible for intrinsic drug resistance. Drugs targeting both EGFR and ERBB2, each capable of forming heterodimers with ERBB3, can reverse unresponsiveness to MEK inhibition by decreasing inhibitory phosphorylation of the proapoptotic proteins BAD and BIM. Moreover, ERBB3 protein level is a biomarker of response to combinatorial treatment. These data suggest a combination strategy for treating KRAS mutant colon and lung cancers and a way to identify the tumors that are most likely to benefit from such combinatorial treatment

RAF Suppression Synergizes with MEK Inhibition in KRAS Mutant Cancer Cells

KRAS is the most frequently mutated oncogene in human cancer, yet no therapies are available to treat KRAS mutant cancers. We used two independent reverse genetic approaches to identify components of the RAS-signaling pathways required for growth of KRAS mutant tumors. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) screening of 37 KRAS mutant colorectal cancer cell lines showed that RAF1 suppression was synthetic lethal with MEK inhibition. An unbiased kinome short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-based screen confirmed this synthetic lethal interaction in colorectal as well as in lung cancer cells bearing KRAS mutations. Compounds targeting RAF kinases can reverse resistance to the MEK inhibitor selumetinib. MEK inhibition induces RAS activation and BRAF-RAF1 dimerization and sustains MEK-ERK signaling, which is responsible for intrinsic resistance to selumetinib. Prolonged dual blockade of RAF and MEK leads to persistent ERK suppression and efficiently induces apoptosis. Our data underlie the relevance of developing combinatorial regimens of drugs targeting the RAF-MEK pathway in KRAS mutant tumors

SMARCE1 suppresses EGFR expression and controls responses to MET and ALK inhibitors in lung cancer

Recurrent inactivating mutations in components of SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complexes have been identified across cancer types, supporting their roles as tumor suppressors in modulating oncogenic signaling pathways. We report here that SMARCE1 loss induces EGFR expression and confers resistance to MET and ALK inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). We found that SMARCE1 binds to regulatory regions of the EGFR locus and suppresses EGFR transcription in part through regulating expression of Polycomb Repressive Complex component CBX2. Addition of the EGFR inhibitor gefitinib restores the sensitivity of SMARCE1-knockdown cells to MET and ALK inhibitors in NSCLCs. Our findings link SMARCE1 to EGFR oncogenic signaling and suggest targeted treatment options for SMARCE1-deficient tumors