Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 May 9;25(10):5160. doi: 10.3390/ijms25105160.
MTX-211 is a first-in-class dual inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) signaling pathways with a compelling pharmaceutical profile and could enhance the effectiveness of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor therapy in colorectal tumors with KRAS mutations. However, the specific mechanisms contributing to the acquired resistance to MTX-211 in human cancers remain elusive. Here, we discovered that the overexpression of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) drug transporter ABCG2, a prevalent mechanism associated with multidrug resistance (MDR), could diminish the effectiveness of MTX-211 in human cancer cells. We showed that the drug efflux activity of ABCG2 substantially decreased the intracellular accumulation of MTX-211 in cancer cells. As a result, the cytotoxicity and effectiveness of MTX-211 in suppressing the activation of the EGFR and PI3K pathways were significantly attenuated in cancer cells overexpressing ABCG2. Moreover, the enhancement of the MTX-211-stimulated ATPase activity of ABCG2 and the computational molecular docking analysis illustrating the binding of MTX-211 to the substrate-binding sites of ABCG2 offered a further indication for the interaction between MTX-211 and ABCG2. In summary, our findings indicate that MTX-211 acts as a substrate for ABCG2, underscoring the involvement of ABCG2 in the emergence of resistance to MTX-211. This finding carries clinical implications and merits further exploration.
MTX-211 是一种首创的表皮生长因子受体 (EGFR) 和磷酸肌醇 3-激酶 (PI3K) 信号通路双重抑制剂,具有引人注目的药物特性,可增强有 KRAS 突变的结直肠肿瘤中丝裂原活化蛋白激酶激酶 (MEK) 抑制剂治疗的效果。然而,导致人类癌症对 MTX-211 获得性耐药的确切机制仍不清楚。在这里,我们发现三磷酸腺苷 (ATP) 结合盒 (ABC) 药物转运蛋白 ABCG2 的过度表达,一种与多药耐药 (MDR) 相关的常见机制,可以降低 MTX-211 在人类癌细胞中的有效性。我们表明,ABCG2 的药物外排活性大大降低了 MTX-211 在癌细胞中的细胞内积累。结果,ABCG2 过表达的癌细胞中 MTX-211 的细胞毒性和抑制 EGFR 和 PI3K 通路激活的效果显著减弱。此外,增强 MTX-211 刺激的 ABCG2 的 ATP 酶活性和计算分子对接分析说明了 MTX-211 与 ABCG2 的底物结合位点的结合,进一步表明了 MTX-211 与 ABCG2 之间的相互作用。总之,我们的研究结果表明 MTX-211 是 ABCG2 的底物,强调了 ABCG2 参与了对 MTX-211 的耐药性的产生。这一发现具有临床意义,值得进一步探索。