Benjamin Lin, Abigail K Shelton, Erin Smithberger, Julia Ziebro, Kasey R Skinner, Ryan E Bash, Richard Kirkman, Allie Stamper, Madison Butler, Alex Flores, Steven P Angus, Michael P East, Timothy F Cloughesy, David A Nathanson, Michael E Berens, Jann N Sarkaria, Zev A Binder, Donald M O'Rourke, Timothy C Howton, Brittany N Lasseigne, Christopher D Willey, Gary L Johnson, Anita B Hjelmeland, Frank B Furnari, C Ryan Miller
{"title":"Identifying and exploiting combinatorial synthetic lethality by characterizing adaptive kinome rewiring of EGFRvIII-driven glioblastoma.","authors":"Benjamin Lin, Abigail K Shelton, Erin Smithberger, Julia Ziebro, Kasey R Skinner, Ryan E Bash, Richard Kirkman, Allie Stamper, Madison Butler, Alex Flores, Steven P Angus, Michael P East, Timothy F Cloughesy, David A Nathanson, Michael E Berens, Jann N Sarkaria, Zev A Binder, Donald M O'Rourke, Timothy C Howton, Brittany N Lasseigne, Christopher D Willey, Gary L Johnson, Anita B Hjelmeland, Frank B Furnari, C Ryan Miller","doi":"10.1186/s40478-025-02068-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>GBM is an aggressive primary malignant brain tumor that has a poor prognosis. Molecular characterization of GBM has shown that EGFR mutations are present in over 50% of tumors. However, EGFR inhibitors have not shown clinical efficacy in contrast to other EGFR-driven neoplasms due to the unique EGFR biology found in GBM. Upfront combinatorial therapy featuring EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) may overcome these challenges. To identify combinatorial drug targets within the kinome, we temporally characterized drug-induced kinome rewiring in isogenic, genetically engineered Cdkn2a-deleted mouse astrocytes expressing human EGFRvIII. We utilize RNA sequencing and multiplex inhibitor beads, coupled with mass spectrometry, to demonstrate that kinome rewiring exhibits both shared and unique kinases after acquired resistance develops to EGFR TKI, despite using models with a common genetic background. Additionally, we noted that kinases altered in the acute setting are distinct from those in acquired resistance. By identifying kinome vulnerabilities throughout the acute, dynamic drug response process, we generated a kinase signature associated with EGFR inhibition. Further molecular interrogation of signature genes revealed that drug treatment induces an unexpected increase in Cdk6 protein, but not mRNA, despite live cell imaging and transcriptomic evidence indicating decreased proliferation. Survival experiments with orthotopic allografts show that upfront combination inhibition of Cdk6, using abemaciclib, and EGFR, using neratinib, significantly prolonged median survival compared to neratinib alone. Our findings suggest that identifying and inhibiting targets with synthetic lethality in the upfront combinatorial setting is a viable approach for precision oncology and may help provide an avenue to overcome the resistance mechanisms that contributed to the failures of EGFR as a molecular target in GBM.</p>","PeriodicalId":6914,"journal":{"name":"Acta Neuropathologica Communications","volume":"13 1","pages":"143"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12205505/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Acta Neuropathologica Communications","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-025-02068-y","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NEUROSCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
GBM is an aggressive primary malignant brain tumor that has a poor prognosis. Molecular characterization of GBM has shown that EGFR mutations are present in over 50% of tumors. However, EGFR inhibitors have not shown clinical efficacy in contrast to other EGFR-driven neoplasms due to the unique EGFR biology found in GBM. Upfront combinatorial therapy featuring EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) may overcome these challenges. To identify combinatorial drug targets within the kinome, we temporally characterized drug-induced kinome rewiring in isogenic, genetically engineered Cdkn2a-deleted mouse astrocytes expressing human EGFRvIII. We utilize RNA sequencing and multiplex inhibitor beads, coupled with mass spectrometry, to demonstrate that kinome rewiring exhibits both shared and unique kinases after acquired resistance develops to EGFR TKI, despite using models with a common genetic background. Additionally, we noted that kinases altered in the acute setting are distinct from those in acquired resistance. By identifying kinome vulnerabilities throughout the acute, dynamic drug response process, we generated a kinase signature associated with EGFR inhibition. Further molecular interrogation of signature genes revealed that drug treatment induces an unexpected increase in Cdk6 protein, but not mRNA, despite live cell imaging and transcriptomic evidence indicating decreased proliferation. Survival experiments with orthotopic allografts show that upfront combination inhibition of Cdk6, using abemaciclib, and EGFR, using neratinib, significantly prolonged median survival compared to neratinib alone. Our findings suggest that identifying and inhibiting targets with synthetic lethality in the upfront combinatorial setting is a viable approach for precision oncology and may help provide an avenue to overcome the resistance mechanisms that contributed to the failures of EGFR as a molecular target in GBM.
期刊介绍:
"Acta Neuropathologica Communications (ANC)" is a peer-reviewed journal that specializes in the rapid publication of research articles focused on the mechanisms underlying neurological diseases. The journal emphasizes the use of molecular, cellular, and morphological techniques applied to experimental or human tissues to investigate the pathogenesis of neurological disorders.
ANC is committed to a fast-track publication process, aiming to publish accepted manuscripts within two months of submission. This expedited timeline is designed to ensure that the latest findings in neuroscience and pathology are disseminated quickly to the scientific community, fostering rapid advancements in the field of neurology and neuroscience. The journal's focus on cutting-edge research and its swift publication schedule make it a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, and other professionals interested in the study and treatment of neurological conditions.