Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) regulates KRAS-driven oncogenesis and senescence in mouse and human models.
KRAS is one of the most frequently mutated human oncogenes. In some settings, oncogenic KRAS can trigger cellular senescence, whereas in others it produces hyperproliferation. Elucidating the mechanisms regulating these 2 drastically distinct outcomes would help identify novel therapeutic approaches in RAS-driven cancers. Using a combination of functional genomics and mouse genetics, we identified a role for the transcription factor Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) as a critical regulator of senescence and proliferation downstream of oncogenic KRAS signaling. Deletion or suppression of Wt1 led to senescence of mouse primary cells expressing physiological levels of oncogenic Kras but had no effect on wild-type cells, and Wt1 loss decreased tumor burden in a mouse model of Kras-driven lung cancer. In human lung cancer cell lines dependent on oncogenic KRAS, WT1 loss decreased proliferation and induced senescence. Furthermore, WT1 inactivation defined a gene expression signature that was prognostic of survival only in lung cancer patients exhibiting evidence of oncogenic KRAS activation. These findings reveal an unexpected role for WT1 as a key regulator of the genetic network of oncogenic KRAS and provide important insight into the mechanisms that regulate proliferation or senescence in response to oncogenic signals.
Cancer Biology Program, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Silvestre
S
Vicent
Ron
R
Chen
Leanne C
LC
Sayles
Chenwei
C
Lin
Randal G
RG
Walker
Anna K
AK
Gillespie
Aravind
A
Subramanian
Gregory
G
Hinkle
Xiaoping
X
Yang
Sakina
S
Saif
David E
DE
Root
Vicki
V
Huff
William C
WC
Hahn
E Alejandro
EA
Sweet-Cordero
D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000235:genetics; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D025721:WT1 Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
C117307:KRAS protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D025721:WT1 Proteins; C495971:Hras protein, mouse; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins