Functional genomics reveals an off-target dependency of drug synergy in gastric cancer therapy.

BACKGROUND: Integrating molecular-targeted agents into combination chemotherapy is transformative for enhancing treatment outcomes in cancer. However, realizing the full potential of this approach requires a clear comprehension of the genetic dependencies underlying drug synergy. While the interactions between conventional chemotherapeutics are well-explored, the interplay of molecular-targeted agents with conventional chemotherapeutics remains a frontier in cancer treatment. Hence, we leveraged a powerful functional genomics approach to decode genomic dependencies that drive synergy in molecular-targeted agent/chemotherapeutic combinations in gastric adenocarcinoma, addressing a critical need in gastric cancer therapy. METHODS: We screened pharmacological interactions between fifteen molecular-targeted agent/conventional chemotherapeutic pairs in gastric adenocarcinoma cells, and examined the genome-scale genetic dependencies of synergy integrating genome-wide CRISPR screening with the shRNA-based signature assay. We validated the synergy in cell death using fluorescence-based and lysis-dependent inference of cell death kinetics assay, and validated the genetic dependencies by single-gene knockout experiments. RESULTS: Our combination screen identified SN-38/erlotinib as the drug pair with the strongest synergism. Functional genomics assays unveiled a genetic dependency signature of SN-38/erlotinib identical to SN-38. Remarkably, the enhanced cell death with improved kinetics induced by SN-38/erlotinib was attributed to erlotinib's off-target effect, inhibiting ABCG2, rather than its on-target effect on EGFR. CONCLUSION: In the era of precision medicine, where emphasis on primary drug targets prevails, our research challenges this paradigm by showcasing a robust synergy underpinned by an off-target dependency. Further dissection of the intricate genetic dependencies that underlie synergy can pave the way to developing more effective combination strategies in gastric cancer therapy.

Functional genomics reveals an off-target dependency of drug synergy in gastric cancer therapy.

The rational combination of anticancer agents is critical to improving patient outcomes in cancer. Nonetheless, most combination regimens in the clinic result from empirical methodologies disregarding insight into the mechanism of action and missing the opportunity to improve therapy outcomes incrementally. Deciphering the genetic dependencies and vulnerabilities responsible for synergistic interactions is crucial for rationally developing effective anticancer drug combinations. Hence, we screened pairwise pharmacological interactions between molecular-targeted agents and conventional chemotherapeutics and examined the genome-scale genetic dependencies in gastric adenocarcinoma cell models. Since this type of cancer is mainly chemoresistant and incurable, clinical situations demand effective combination strategies. Our pairwise combination screen revealed SN38/erlotinib as the drug pair with the most robust synergism. Genome-wide CRISPR screening and a shRNA-based signature assay indicated that the genetic dependency/vulnerability signature of SN38/erlotinib is the same as SN38 alone. Additional investigation revealed that the enhanced cell death with improved death kinetics caused by the SN38/erlotinib combination is surprisingly due to erlotinib's off-target effect that inhibits ABCG2 but not its on-target effect on EGFR. Our results confirm that a genetic dependency signature different from the single-drug application may not be necessary for the synergistic interaction of molecular-targeted agents with conventional chemotherapeutics in gastric adenocarcinoma. The findings also demonstrated the efficacy of functional genomics approaches in unveiling biologically validated mechanisms of pharmacological interactions.

Resorufin Enters the Photodynamic Therapy Arena: A Monoamine Oxidase Activatable Agent for Selective Cytotoxicity.

A red-absorbing, water-soluble, and iodinated resorufin derivative (R1) that can be selectively activated with a monoamine oxidase (MAO) enzyme was synthesized, and its potential as a photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent was evaluated. R1 showed high 1O2 generation yields in aqueous solutions upon addition of MAO isoforms, and it was further tested in cell culture studies. R1 induced photocytotoxicity after being triggered by endogenous MAO enzyme in cancer cells with a much higher efficiency in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells with high MAO-A expression. Additionally, R1 displayed differential cytotoxicity between cancer and normal cells, without any considerable dark toxicity. To the best of our knowledge, R1 marks the first example of a resorufin-based photosensitizer (PS) as well as the first anticancer drug that is activated by a MAO enzyme. Remarkably, the target PDT agent was obtained only in three steps as a result of versatile resorufin chemistry.