GSE160244
Single cell RNA sequencing analysis of freshly resected PC9 cell line-derived tumor xenografts
The non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) PC9 cell line is an established preclinical model for tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Using PC9 cells, we generated EGFR-mutant lung cancer xenografts to study the differences in response between individual cells and cell populations. We performed treatment of PC9 xenograft tumors with the combination of osimertinib and crizotinib as well as single drugs, followed by Drop-seq. The addition of crizotinib was guided by our previous data in PC9 grown in cell culture that identified an erlotinib-resistant drug population sensitive to crizotinib. The results of the xenograft study show that combination treatment targets specific osimertinib-tolerant cell populations but leaves a subset of the population that is tolerant to the combo. Each cell subpopulation is characterized by specific molecular signatures. The results of our study help to address emerging drug resistance that limits clinical usefulness of targeted strategies, particularly in NSCLC. Overall design: examining drug resistant cell populations using single cell RNA-seq