title: Receptor tyrosine kinases exert dominant control over PI3K signaling in human KRAS mutant colorectal cancers.
abstract: Therapies inhibiting receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are effective against some human cancers when they lead to simultaneous downregulation of PI3K/AKT and MEK/ERK signaling. However, mutant KRAS has the capacity to directly activate ERK and PI3K signaling, and this is thought to underlie the resistance of KRAS mutant cancers to RTK inhibitors. Here, we have elucidated the molecular regulation of both the PI3K/AKT and MEK/ERK signaling pathways in KRAS mutant colorectal cancer cells and identified combination therapies that lead to robust cancer cell apoptosis. KRAS knockdown using shRNA suppressed ERK signaling in all of the human KRAS mutant colorectal cancer cell lines examined. However, no decrease, and actually a modest increase, in AKT phosphorylation was often seen. By performing PI3K immunoprecipitations, we determined that RTKs, often IGF-IR, regulated PI3K signaling in the KRAS mutant cell lines. This conclusion was also supported by the observation that specific RTK inhibition led to marked suppression of PI3K signaling and biochemical assessment of patient specimens. Interestingly, combination of RTK and MEK inhibitors led to concomitant inhibition of PI3K and MEK signaling, marked growth suppression, and robust apoptosis of human KRAS mutant colorectal cancer cell lines in vitro and upon xenografting in mice. These findings provide a framework for utilizing RTK inhibitors in the treatment of KRAS mutant colorectal cancers.
authors: Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors: Hiromichi
authors: H
authors: Ebi
authors: Ryan B
authors: RB
authors: Corcoran
authors: Anurag
authors: A
authors: Singh
authors: Zhao
authors: Z
authors: Chen
authors: Youngchul
authors: Y
authors: Song
authors: Eugene
authors: E
authors: Lifshits
authors: David P
authors: DP
authors: Ryan
authors: Jeffrey A
authors: JA
authors: Meyerhardt
authors: Cyril
authors: C
authors: Benes
authors: Jeffrey
authors: J
authors: Settleman
authors: Kwok-Kin
authors: KK
authors: Wong
authors: Lewis C
authors: LC
authors: Cantley
authors: Jeffrey A
authors: JA
authors: Engelman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D058534:Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D006801:Humans; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009154:Mutation; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics*; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / Q000235:genetics; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; C117307:KRAS protein, human; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D058534:Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; C484760:PIK3CA protein, human; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C482119:BRAF protein, human; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins