EGFRvIII expression triggers a metabolic dependency and therapeutic vulnerability sensitive to autophagy inhibition.

Expression of EGFRvIII is frequently observed in glioblastoma and is associated with increased cellular proliferation, enhanced tolerance to metabolic stresses, accelerated tumor growth, therapy resistance and poor prognosis. We observed that expression of EGFRvIII elevates the activation of macroautophagy/autophagy during starvation and hypoxia and explored the underlying mechanism and consequence. Autophagy was inhibited (genetically or pharmacologically) and its consequence for tolerance to metabolic stress and its therapeutic potential in (EGFRvIII+) glioblastoma was assessed in cellular systems, (patient derived) tumor xenopgrafts and glioblastoma patients. Autophagy inhibition abrogated the enhanced proliferation and survival advantage of EGFRvIII+ cells during stress conditions, decreased tumor hypoxia and delayed tumor growth in EGFRvIII+ tumors. These effects can be attributed to the supporting role of autophagy in meeting the high metabolic demand of EGFRvIII+ cells. As hypoxic tumor cells greatly contribute to therapy resistance, autophagy inhibition revokes the radioresistant phenotype of EGFRvIII+ tumors in (patient derived) xenograft tumors. In line with these findings, retrospective analysis of glioblastoma patients indicated that chloroquine treatment improves survival of all glioblastoma patients, but patients with EGFRvIII+ glioblastoma benefited most. Our findings disclose the unique autophagy dependency of EGFRvIII+ glioblastoma as a therapeutic opportunity. Chloroquine treatment may therefore be considered as an additional treatment strategy for glioblastoma patients and can reverse the worse prognosis of patients with EGFRvIII+ glioblastoma.

GABARAPL1 is required for increased EGFR membrane expression during hypoxia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed, amplified or mutated in various human epithelial tumors and hypoxia is a common feature of solid tumors. Both EGFR and hypoxia are associated with therapy resistance and poor treatment outcome. To survive hypoxia, cells adapt by activation of hypoxia responsive pathways and expression of hypoxia-induced plasma membrane proteins. We observed that GABAA receptor associated protein like1 (GABARAPL1) and plasma membrane expression of EGFR were increased during hypoxia. Here we explored the role of the GABARAPL1 in EGFR membrane expression during hypoxia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Quantitative qPCR, immunoblot analysis, flow cytometry and cytochemistry were used to assess this interplay. RESULTS: GABARAPL1 mRNA and protein levels are increased during hypoxia in vitro and correlate with tumor hypoxia in a panel of primary HNSCC xenografts. High GABARAPL1 mRNA is associated with poor outcome of HNSCC patients. During hypoxia, EGFR membrane expression is increased and GABARAPL1 and EGFR colocalize at the plasma membrane. GABARAPL1 knockdown inhibits EGFR membrane expression during hypoxia. CONCLUSION: GABARAPL1 is required for increased membrane expression of EGFR during hypoxia, suggesting a role for GABARAPL1 in the trafficking of these membrane proteins.

Canonical autophagy does not contribute to cellular radioresistance.

BACKGROUND: (Pre)clinical studies indicate that autophagy inhibition increases response to anti-cancer therapies. Although promising, due to contradicting reports, it remains unclear if radiation therapy changes autophagy activity and if autophagy inhibition changes the cellular intrinsic radiosensitivity. Discrepancies may result from different assays and models through off-target effects and influencing other signaling routes. In this study, we directly compared the effects of genetic and pharmacological inhibition of autophagy after irradiation in human cancer cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Changes in autophagy activity after ionizing radiation (IR) were assessed by flux analysis in eight cell lines. Clonogenic survival, DNA damage (COMET-assay) and H2AX phosphorylation were assessed after chloroquine or 3-methyladenine pretreatment and after ATG7 or LC3b knockdown. RESULTS: IR failed to induce autophagy and chloroquine failed to change intrinsic radiosensitivity of cells. Interestingly, 3-methyladenine and ATG7- or LC3b-deficiency sensitized cancer cells to irradiation. Surprisingly, the radiosensitizing effect of 3-methyladenine was also observed in ATG7 and LC3b deficient cells and was associated with attenuated γ-H2AX formation and DNA damage repair. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that the anti-tumor effects of chloroquine are independent of changes in intrinsic radioresistance. Furthermore, ATG7 and LC3b support radioresistance independent of canonical autophagy that involves lysosomal degradation.