RESUMEN
Mutational activation of KRAS occurs commonly in lung carcinogenesis and, with the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of covalent inhibitors of KRASG12C such as sotorasib or adagrasib, KRAS oncoproteins are important pharmacological targets in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, not all KRASG12C-driven NSCLCs respond to these inhibitors, and the emergence of drug resistance in those patients who do respond can be rapid and pleiotropic. Hence, based on a backbone of covalent inhibition of KRASG12C, efforts are underway to develop effective combination therapies. Here, we report that the inhibition of KRASG12C signaling increases autophagy in KRASG12C-expressing lung cancer cells. Moreover, the combination of DCC-3116, a selective ULK1/2 inhibitor, plus sotorasib displays cooperative/synergistic suppression of human KRASG12C-driven lung cancer cell proliferation in vitro and superior tumor control in vivo. Additionally, in genetically engineered mouse models of KRASG12C-driven NSCLC, inhibition of either KRASG12C or ULK1/2 decreases tumor burden and increases mouse survival. Consequently, these data suggest that ULK1/2-mediated autophagy is a pharmacologically actionable cytoprotective stress response to inhibition of KRASG12C in lung cancer.
Asunto(s)
Homólogo de la Proteína 1 Relacionada con la Autofagia , Proliferación Celular , Péptidos y Proteínas de Señalización Intracelular , Neoplasias Pulmonares , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas p21(ras) , Animales , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Ratones , Antineoplásicos/farmacología , Autofagia/efectos de los fármacos , Homólogo de la Proteína 1 Relacionada con la Autofagia/metabolismo , Homólogo de la Proteína 1 Relacionada con la Autofagia/genética , Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas/tratamiento farmacológico , Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas/patología , Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas/genética , Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas/metabolismo , Línea Celular Tumoral , Proliferación Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Péptidos y Proteínas de Señalización Intracelular/metabolismo , Péptidos y Proteínas de Señalización Intracelular/genética , Neoplasias Pulmonares/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias Pulmonares/genética , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patología , Neoplasias Pulmonares/metabolismo , Piperazinas , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinasas/metabolismo , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinasas/genética , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinasas/antagonistas & inhibidores , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas p21(ras)/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas p21(ras)/metabolismo , Piridinas , Pirimidinas/farmacologíaRESUMEN
Mutational activation of KRAS occurs commonly in lung carcinogenesis and, with the recent FDA approval of covalent inhibitors of KRAS G12C such as sotorasib or adagrasib, KRAS oncoproteins are important pharmacological targets in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, not all KRAS G12C -driven NSCLCs respond to these inhibitors, and the emergence of drug resistance in those patients that do respond can be rapid and pleiotropic. Hence, based on a backbone of covalent inhibition of KRAS G12C , efforts are underway to develop effective combination therapies. Here we report that inhibition of KRAS G12C signaling increases autophagy in KRAS G12C expressing lung cancer cells. Moreover, the combination of DCC-3116, a selective ULK1/2 inhibitor, plus sotorasib displays cooperative/synergistic suppression of human KRAS G12C -driven lung cancer cell proliferation in vitro and superior tumor control in vivo . Additionally, in genetically engineered mouse models of KRAS G12C -driven NSCLC, inhibition of either KRAS G12C or ULK1/2 decreases tumor burden and increases mouse survival. Consequently, these data suggest that ULK1/2-mediated autophagy is a pharmacologically actionable cytoprotective stress response to inhibition of KRAS G12C in lung cancer.
