Shin Alice E, Sugiura Kensuke, Kariuki Secunda W, Cohen David A, Flashner Samuel P, Klein-Szanto Andres J, Nishiwaki Noriyuki, De Dechokyab, Vasan Neil, Gabre Joel T, Lengner Christopher J, Sims Peter A, Rustgi Anil K
Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, and.
Department of Surgery, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons; Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
J Clin Invest. 2025 Jan 14;135(8). doi: 10.1172/JCI186035. eCollection 2025 Apr 15.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer death because of metastatic spread. LIN28B is overexpressed in 30% of CRCs and promotes metastasis, yet its mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we genetically modified CRC cell lines to overexpress LIN28B, resulting in enhanced PI3K/AKT pathway activation and liver metastasis in mice. We developed genetically modified mouse models with constitutively active Pik3ca that form intestinal tumors progressing to liver metastases with an intact immune system, addressing the limitations of previous Pik3ca-mutant models, including long tumor latency, mixed histology, and lack of distant metastases. The PI3Kα-specific inhibitor alpelisib reduced migration and invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo. We present a comprehensive analysis of vertical inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway in CRC using the FDA-approved drugs alpelisib and capivasertib (an AKT inhibitor) in combination with LY2584702 (a ribosomal protein S6 kinase inhibitor) in CRC cell lines and mouse- and patient-derived organoids. Tissue microarrays from patients with CRC verified that LIN28B and PI3K/AKT pathway activation correlate with CRC progression. These findings highlight the critical role of the LIN28B-mediated PI3K/AKT pathway in CRC metastasis, the therapeutic potential of targeted inhibition, and the promise of patient-derived organoids in precision medicine in metastatic CRC.
由于转移扩散,结直肠癌(CRC)仍然是癌症死亡的主要原因。LIN28B在30%的CRC中过表达并促进转移,但其机制仍不清楚。在本研究中,我们对CRC细胞系进行基因改造以过表达LIN28B,导致小鼠体内PI3K/AKT途径激活增强和肝转移。我们开发了具有组成型活性Pik3ca的基因改造小鼠模型,该模型在免疫系统完整的情况下形成进展为肝转移的肠道肿瘤,解决了先前Pik3ca突变模型的局限性,包括长肿瘤潜伏期、混合组织学以及缺乏远处转移。PI3Kα特异性抑制剂阿培利司在体外降低了迁移和侵袭,在体内降低了转移。我们使用FDA批准的药物阿培利司和卡比替尼(一种AKT抑制剂)与LY2584702(一种核糖体蛋白S6激酶抑制剂)联合,在CRC细胞系以及小鼠和患者来源的类器官中,对CRC中PI3K/AKT途径的垂直抑制进行了全面分析。来自CRC患者的组织微阵列证实,LIN28B和PI3K/AKT途径激活与CRC进展相关。这些发现突出了LIN28B介导的PI3K/AKT途径在CRC转移中的关键作用、靶向抑制的治疗潜力以及患者来源的类器官在转移性CRC精准医学中的前景。