Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York.
Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-I MD-PhD program, New York, New York.
Cancer Discov. 2019 Oct;9(10):1358-1371. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-19-0289. Epub 2019 Jul 23.
The majority of colorectal cancers show hyperactivated WNT signaling due to inactivating mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) tumor suppressor. Genetically restoring APC suppresses WNT and induces rapid and sustained tumor regression, implying that reengaging this endogenous tumor-suppressive mechanism may be an effective therapeutic strategy. Here, using new animal models, human cell lines, and organoid cultures, we show that tankyrase (TNKS) inhibition can control WNT hyperactivation and provide long-term tumor control , but that effective responses are critically dependent on how APC is disrupted. Mutant APC proteins truncated within the mutation cluster region physically engage the destruction complex and suppress the WNT transcriptional program, while APC variants with early truncations (e.g., ) show limited interaction with AXIN1 and β-catenin, and do not respond to TNKS blockade. Together, this work shows that TNKS inhibition, like APC restoration, can reestablish endogenous control of WNT/β-catenin signaling, but that APC genotype is a crucial determinant of this response. SIGNIFICANCE: This study reveals how subtle changes to the mutations in a critical colorectal tumor suppressor, APC, influence the cellular response to a targeted therapy. It underscores how investigating the specific genetic alterations that occur in human cancer can identify important biological mechanisms of drug response and resistance..
大多数结直肠癌由于腺瘤性结肠息肉病(APC)肿瘤抑制因子的失活突变而显示出过度激活的 WNT 信号通路。遗传恢复 APC 抑制 WNT 并诱导快速和持续的肿瘤消退,这意味着重新激活这种内源性肿瘤抑制机制可能是一种有效的治疗策略。在这里,我们使用新的动物模型、人细胞系和类器官培养物,表明 Tankyrase(TNKS)抑制可以控制 WNT 过度激活并提供长期的肿瘤控制,但有效的反应严重依赖于 APC 如何被破坏。突变 APC 蛋白在突变簇区域内截断,与破坏复合物物理结合并抑制 WNT 转录程序,而具有早期截断的 APC 变体(例如 )与 AXIN1 和 β-catenin 的相互作用有限,并且对 TNKS 阻断无反应。总之,这项工作表明,TNKS 抑制与 APC 恢复一样,可以重新建立 WNT/β-catenin 信号的内源性控制,但 APC 基因型是这种反应的关键决定因素。意义:这项研究揭示了结直肠癌关键肿瘤抑制因子 APC 中突变的细微变化如何影响对靶向治疗的细胞反应。它强调了研究在人类癌症中发生的特定遗传改变如何能够确定药物反应和耐药性的重要生物学机制。