Lal Bachchu, Goodwin C Rory, Sang Yingying, Foss Catherine A, Cornet Kathrine, Muzamil Sameena, Pomper Martin G, Kim Jin, Laterra John
Hugo W Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2009 Jul;8(7):1751-60. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-09-0188. Epub 2009 Jul 7.
Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) systems, such as hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor c-Met, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), are responsible for the malignant progression of multiple solid tumors. Recent research shows that these RTK systems comodulate overlapping and dynamically adaptable oncogenic downstream signaling pathways. This study investigates how EGFRvIII, a constitutively active EGFR deletion mutant, alters tumor growth and signaling responses to RTK inhibition in PTEN-null/HGF(+)/c-Met(+) glioma xenografts. We show that a neutralizing anti-HGF monoclonal antibody (L2G7) potently inhibits tumor growth and the activation of Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in PTEN-null/HGF(+)/c-Met(+)/EGFRvIII(-) U87 glioma xenografts (U87wt). Isogenic EGFRvIII(+) U87 xenografts (U87-EGFRvIII), which grew five times more rapidly than U87-wt xenografts, were unresponsive to EGFRvIII inhibition by erlotinib and were only minimally responsive to anti-HGF monoclonal antibodies. EGFRvIII expression diminished the magnitude of Akt inhibition and completely prevented MAPK inhibition by L2G7. Despite the lack of response to L2G7 or erlotinib as single agents, their combination synergized to produce substantial antitumor effects (inhibited tumor cell proliferation, enhanced apoptosis, arrested tumor growth, prolonged animal survival), against subcutaneous and orthotopic U87-EGFRvIII xenografts. The dramatic response to combining HGF:c-Met and EGFRvIII pathway inhibitors in U87-EGFRvIII xenografts occurred in the absence of Akt and MAPK inhibition. These findings show that combining c-Met and EGFRvIII pathway inhibitors can generate potent antitumor effects in PTEN-null tumors. They also provide insights into how EGFRvIII and c-Met may alter signaling networks and reveal the potential limitations of certain biochemical biomarkers to predict the efficacy of RTK inhibition in genetically diverse cancers.
受体酪氨酸激酶(RTK)系统,如肝细胞生长因子(HGF)及其受体c-Met,以及表皮生长因子受体(EGFR),与多种实体瘤的恶性进展有关。最近的研究表明,这些RTK系统共同调节重叠且动态适应的致癌下游信号通路。本研究调查了组成型活性EGFR缺失突变体EGFRvIII如何改变PTEN缺失/HGF(+)/c-Met(+)胶质瘤异种移植瘤中肿瘤生长以及对RTK抑制的信号反应。我们发现,一种中和抗HGF单克隆抗体(L2G7)可有效抑制PTEN缺失/HGF(+)/c-Met(+)/EGFRvIII(-) U87胶质瘤异种移植瘤(U87wt)中的肿瘤生长以及Akt和丝裂原活化蛋白激酶(MAPK)的激活。同基因的EGFRvIII(+) U87异种移植瘤(U87-EGFRvIII)生长速度比U87-wt异种移植瘤快五倍,对厄洛替尼抑制EGFRvIII无反应,且仅对抗HGF单克隆抗体有轻微反应。EGFRvIII的表达降低了L2G7对Akt的抑制程度,并完全阻止了其对MAPK的抑制。尽管L2G7或厄洛替尼作为单一药物无反应,但它们联合使用时产生了显著的抗肿瘤效果(抑制肿瘤细胞增殖、增强凋亡、阻止肿瘤生长、延长动物存活时间),对皮下和原位U87-EGFRvIII异种移植瘤均有效。在U87-EGFRvIII异种移植瘤中,联合HGF:c-Met和EGFRvIII通路抑制剂产生显著反应,且不存在Akt和MAPK抑制。这些发现表明,联合c-Met和EGFRvIII通路抑制剂可在PTEN缺失肿瘤中产生强大的抗肿瘤作用。它们还深入了解了EGFRvIII和c-Met如何改变信号网络,并揭示了某些生化生物标志物在预测基因多样化癌症中RTK抑制疗效方面的潜在局限性。