{"title":"YAP regulates HER3 signaling-driven adaptive resistance to RET inhibitors in RET-aberrant cancer.","authors":"Yuki Katayama, Tadaaki Yamada, Keiko Tanimura, Hayato Kawachi, Masaki Ishida, Yohei Matsui, Soichi Hirai, Ryota Nakamura, Kenji Morimoto, Naoki Furuya, Sachiko Arai, Yasuhiro Goto, Yoshihiko Sakata, Kazumi Nishino, Michiko Tsuchiya, Akihiro Tamiya, Go Saito, Satoshi Muto, Takayuki Takeda, Koji Date, Yasuhito Fujisaka, Satoshi Watanabe, Daichi Fujimoto, Hisanori Uehara, Mano Horinaka, Toshiyuki Sakai, Seiji Yano, Shinsaku Tokuda, Koichi Takayama","doi":"10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-24-1762","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Rearranged during transfection (RET) aberrations represent a targetable oncogene in several tumor types, with RET inhibitors displaying marked efficacy. However, some patients with RET-aberrant cancer are insensitive to RET tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Recently, drug-tolerant mechanisms have attracted attention as targets for initial therapies to overcome drug resistance. The underlying mechanisms of drug-tolerant cell emergence treated with RET-TKIs derived from RET-aberrant cancer cells remain unknown. This study investigated the role of YAP-mediated HER3 signaling in the underlying mechanisms of adaptive resistance to RET-TKIs in RET-aberrant cancer cells.</p><p><strong>Experimental design: </strong>Four RET-aberrant cancer cell lines were used to assess sensitivity to the RET-TKIs selpercatinib and pralsetinib and to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive resistance using RNA sequencing, phospho-RTK antibody arrays, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, and luciferase reporter assays. Clinical specimens from patients with RET-fusion-positive lung cancer were analyzed for pre-treatment YAP expression and correlated with treatment outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In high YAP-expressing RET-aberrant cancer cells, YAP-mediated HER3 signaling activation maintained cell survival and induced the emergence of cells tolerant to the RET-TKIs selpercatinib and pralsetinib. The pan-ErBB inhibitor afatinib and YAP/TEAD inhibitors verteporfin and K-975 sensitized YAP-expressing RET-aberrant cancer cells to the RET-TKIs selpercatinib and pralsetinib. Pre-treatment YAP expression in clinical specimens obtained from patients with RET-fusion-positive lung cancer was associated with poor RET-TKI treatment outcomes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The YAP-HER3 axis is crucial for the survival and adaptive resistance of high YAP-expressing RET-aberrant cancer cells treated with RET-TKIs. Combining YAP/HER3 inhibition with RET-TKIs represents a highly potent strategy for initial treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":10279,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Cancer Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Clinical Cancer Research","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-24-1762","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ONCOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Rearranged during transfection (RET) aberrations represent a targetable oncogene in several tumor types, with RET inhibitors displaying marked efficacy. However, some patients with RET-aberrant cancer are insensitive to RET tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Recently, drug-tolerant mechanisms have attracted attention as targets for initial therapies to overcome drug resistance. The underlying mechanisms of drug-tolerant cell emergence treated with RET-TKIs derived from RET-aberrant cancer cells remain unknown. This study investigated the role of YAP-mediated HER3 signaling in the underlying mechanisms of adaptive resistance to RET-TKIs in RET-aberrant cancer cells.
Experimental design: Four RET-aberrant cancer cell lines were used to assess sensitivity to the RET-TKIs selpercatinib and pralsetinib and to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive resistance using RNA sequencing, phospho-RTK antibody arrays, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, and luciferase reporter assays. Clinical specimens from patients with RET-fusion-positive lung cancer were analyzed for pre-treatment YAP expression and correlated with treatment outcomes.
Results: In high YAP-expressing RET-aberrant cancer cells, YAP-mediated HER3 signaling activation maintained cell survival and induced the emergence of cells tolerant to the RET-TKIs selpercatinib and pralsetinib. The pan-ErBB inhibitor afatinib and YAP/TEAD inhibitors verteporfin and K-975 sensitized YAP-expressing RET-aberrant cancer cells to the RET-TKIs selpercatinib and pralsetinib. Pre-treatment YAP expression in clinical specimens obtained from patients with RET-fusion-positive lung cancer was associated with poor RET-TKI treatment outcomes.
Conclusion: The YAP-HER3 axis is crucial for the survival and adaptive resistance of high YAP-expressing RET-aberrant cancer cells treated with RET-TKIs. Combining YAP/HER3 inhibition with RET-TKIs represents a highly potent strategy for initial treatment.
期刊介绍:
Clinical Cancer Research is a journal focusing on groundbreaking research in cancer, specifically in the areas where the laboratory and the clinic intersect. Our primary interest lies in clinical trials that investigate novel treatments, accompanied by research on pharmacology, molecular alterations, and biomarkers that can predict response or resistance to these treatments. Furthermore, we prioritize laboratory and animal studies that explore new drugs and targeted agents with the potential to advance to clinical trials. We also encourage research on targetable mechanisms of cancer development, progression, and metastasis.