Inhibition of MK2 suppresses IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α-dependent colorectal cancer growth.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) development and progression is associated with chronic inflammation. We have identified the MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) pathway as a primary mediator of inflammation in CRC. MK2 signaling promotes production of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α. These cytokines have been implicated in tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. For the first time, we investigate whether MK2 inhibition can improve outcome in two mouse models of CRC. In our azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate (AOM/DSS) model of colitis-associated CRC, MK2 inhibitor treatment eliminated murine tumor development. Using the implanted, syngeneic murine CRC cell line CT26, we observe significant tumor volume reduction following MK2 inhibition. Tumor cells treated with MK2 inhibitors produced 80% less IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α and demonstrated decreased invasion. Replenishment of downstream proinflammatory MK2-mediated cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α) to tumors led to restoration of tumor proliferation and rapid tumor regrowth. These results demonstrate the importance of MK2 in driving proinflammatory cytokine production, its relevance to in vivo tumor proliferation and invasion. Inhibition of MK2 may represent an attractive therapeutic target to suppress tumor growth and progression in patients.

Tetraspanin CD82 drives acute myeloid leukemia chemoresistance by modulating protein kinase C alpha and ß1 integrin activation.

A principal challenge in treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is chemotherapy refractory disease. As such, there remains a critical need to identify key regulators of chemotherapy resistance in AML. In this study, we demonstrate that the membrane scaffold, CD82, contributes to the chemoresistant phenotype of AML. Using an RNA-seq approach, we identified the increased expression of the tetraspanin family member, CD82, in response to the chemotherapeutic, daunorubicin. Analysis of the TARGET and BEAT AML databases identifies a correlation between CD82 expression and overall survival of AML patients. Moreover, using a combination of cell lines and patient samples, we find that CD82 overexpression results in significantly reduced cell death in response to chemotherapy. Investigation of the mechanism by which CD82 promotes AML survival in response to chemotherapy identified a crucial role for enhanced protein kinase c alpha (PKCα) signaling and downstream activation of the ß1 integrin. In addition, analysis of ß1 integrin clustering by super-resolution imaging demonstrates that CD82 expression promotes the formation of dense ß1 integrin membrane clusters. Lastly, evaluation of survival signaling following daunorubicin treatment identified robust activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) downstream of PKCα and ß1 integrin signaling when CD82 is overexpressed. Together, these data propose a mechanism where CD82 promotes chemoresistance by increasing PKCα activation and downstream activation/clustering of ß1 integrin, leading to AML cell survival via activation of p38 MAPK. These observations suggest that the CD82-PKCα signaling axis may be a potential therapeutic target for attenuating chemoresistance signaling in AML.

MAPKAPK2 (MK2) inhibition mediates radiation-induced inflammatory cytokine production and tumor growth in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Radiation therapy (RT) is a cornerstone of treatment in the management of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), yet treatment failure and disease recurrence are common. The p38/MK2 pathway is activated in response to cellular stressors, including radiation, and promotes tumor inflammation in a variety of cancers. We investigated MK2 pathway activation in HNSCC and the interaction of MK2 and RT in vitro and in vivo. We used a combination of an oropharyngeal SCC tissue microarray, HNSCC cell lines, and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumor models to study the effect of RT on MK2 pathway activation and to determine how inhibition of MK2 by pharmacologic (PF-3644022) and genetic (siRNA) methods impacts tumor growth. We show that high phosphorylated MK2 (p-MK2) levels are associated with worsened disease-specific survival in p16-negative HNSCC patients. RT increased p-MK2 in both p16-positive, HPV-positive and p16-negative, HPV-negative HNSCC cell lines. Pharmacologic inhibition or gene silencing of MK2 in vitro abrogated RT-induced increases in p-MK2; inflammatory cytokine expression and expression of the downstream MK2 target, heat shock protein 27 (HSP27); and markers of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Mouse PDX models treated with a combination of RT and MK2 inhibitor experienced decreased tumor growth and increased survival. Our results suggest that MK2 is a potential prognostic biomarker for head and neck cancer and that MK2 pathway activation can mediate radiation resistance in HNSCC.