title: Epithelial to mesenchymal transition is a determinant of sensitivity of non-small-cell lung carcinoma cell lines and xenografts to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition.
abstract: Treatment of second- and third-line patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase inhibitor erlotinib significantly increased survival relative to placebo. Whereas patient tumors with EGFR mutations have shown responses to EGFR inhibitors, an exclusive role for mutations in patient survival benefit from EGFR inhibition is unclear. Here we show that wild-type EGFR-containing human NSCLC lines grown both in culture and as xenografts show a range of sensitivities to EGFR inhibition dependent on the degree to which they have undergone an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). NSCLC lines which express the epithelial cell junction protein E-cadherin showed greater sensitivity to EGFR inhibition in vitro and in xenografts. In contrast, NSCLC lines having undergone EMT, expressing vimentin and/or fibronectin, were insensitive to the growth inhibitory effects of EGFR kinase inhibition in vitro and in xenografts. The differential sensitivity of NSCLC cells with epithelial or mesenchymal phenotypes to EGFR inhibition did not correlate with cell cycle status in vitro or with xenograft growth rates in vivo, or with total EGFR protein levels. Cells sensitive to EGFR inhibition, with an epithelial cell phenotype, did exhibit increased phosphorylation of EGFR and ErbB3 and a marked increase in total ErbB3. The loss of E-cadherin and deregulation of beta-catenin associated with EMT have been shown to correlate with poor prognosis in multiple solid tumor types. These data suggest that EMT may be a general biological switch rendering non-small cell lung tumors sensitive or insensitive to EGFR inhibition.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Translational Research and Oncology Research, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Farmingdale, NY 11735, USA.
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Buck
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petti
authors.forename: Graeme
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Nishal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ramnarine
authors.forename: Kenneth K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Haley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000069347:Erlotinib Hydrochloride; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011799:Quinazolines; D000069347:Erlotinib Hydrochloride; D066246:ErbB Receptors