Chan Keefe T, Blake Shaun, Zhu Haoran, Kang Jian, Trigos Anna S, Madhamshettiwar Piyush B, Diesch Jeannine, Paavolainen Lassi, Horvath Peter, Hannan Ross D, George Amee J, Sanij Elaine, Hannan Katherine M, Simpson Kaylene J, Pearson Richard B
Division of Cancer Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Cell Death Differ. 2020 Feb;27(2):725-741. doi: 10.1038/s41418-019-0384-8. Epub 2019 Jul 8.
Exquisite regulation of PI3K/AKT/mTORC1 signaling is essential for homeostatic control of cell growth, proliferation, and survival. Aberrant activation of this signaling network is an early driver of many sporadic human cancers. Paradoxically, sustained hyperactivation of the PI3K/AKT/mTORC1 pathway in nontransformed cells results in cellular senescence, which is a tumor-suppressive mechanism that must be overcome to promote malignant transformation. While oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) driven by excessive RAS/ERK signaling has been well studied, little is known about the mechanisms underpinning the AKT-induced senescence (AIS) response. Here, we utilize a combination of transcriptome and metabolic profiling to identify key signatures required to maintain AIS. We also employ a whole protein-coding genome RNAi screen for AIS escape, validating a subset of novel mediators and demonstrating their preferential specificity for AIS as compared with OIS. As proof of concept of the potential to exploit the AIS network, we show that neurofibromin 1 (NF1) is upregulated during AIS and its ability to suppress RAS/ERK signaling facilitates AIS maintenance. Furthermore, depletion of NF1 enhances transformation of p53-mutant epithelial cells expressing activated AKT, while its overexpression blocks transformation by inducing a senescent-like phenotype. Together, our findings reveal novel mechanistic insights into the control of AIS and identify putative senescence regulators that can potentially be targeted, with implications for new therapeutic options to treat PI3K/AKT/mTORC1-driven cancers.
PI3K/AKT/mTORC1信号通路的精确调控对于细胞生长、增殖和存活的稳态控制至关重要。该信号网络的异常激活是许多散发性人类癌症的早期驱动因素。矛盾的是,PI3K/AKT/mTORC1通路在未转化细胞中的持续过度激活会导致细胞衰老,这是一种肿瘤抑制机制,必须克服才能促进恶性转化。虽然由过度的RAS/ERK信号驱动的癌基因诱导的衰老(OIS)已得到充分研究,但对于AKT诱导的衰老(AIS)反应的潜在机制知之甚少。在这里,我们结合转录组和代谢谱分析来确定维持AIS所需的关键特征。我们还对AIS逃逸进行了全蛋白质编码基因组RNAi筛选,验证了一组新的介导因子,并证明了它们与OIS相比对AIS具有优先特异性。作为利用AIS网络潜力的概念验证,我们表明神经纤维瘤蛋白1(NF1)在AIS期间上调,其抑制RAS/ERK信号的能力促进了AIS的维持。此外,NF1的缺失增强了表达活化AKT的p53突变上皮细胞的转化,而其过表达通过诱导衰老样表型来阻断转化。总之,我们的研究结果揭示了对AIS控制的新机制见解,并确定了可能成为潜在靶点的假定衰老调节因子,这对治疗PI3K/AKT/mTORC1驱动的癌症的新治疗选择具有重要意义。