WZ4003 sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma to OSI-027 by inhibiting ARK5-mediated autophagy

Mammalian target of rapamycin kinase inhibitors (mTOR-KIs) represent a novel promising treatment option for cancer therapy. OSI-027, a typical mTOR-KI, has been confirmed to suppress the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in preclinical models. However, mTOR-KIs confer limited therapeutic response against HCC, and the underlying mechanism remains enigmatic. The present study aimed to reveal the interaction between NUAK inhibitor WZ4003 and OSI-027 in HCC. Treatment with OSI-027 was found to result in up-regulation of ARK5 (also known as NUAK1), whereas both ARK5 knockdown and WZ4003 sensitized HCC cells to OSI-027. Intriguingly, knockdown of ARK5 abrogated the synergistic anti-HCC effect observed with the combination of WZ4003 and OSI-027. Additionally, OSI-027 triggered autophagy, an effect that could be reversed by WZ4003. Furthermore, WZ4003 was found to regulate autophagy in an ARK5-dependent manner, and phosphorylation of unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1 (ULK1) at Ser757 served as a downstream effector of ARK5. Notably, both chloroquine treatment and ULK1-S757E transfection abolished the OSI-027/WZ4003 synergy. We also confirmed a synergism pattern between OSI-027 and WZ4003 in an HCC xenograft model. Moreover, elevated ARK5 expression was observed in HCC specimens and was independently associated with an unfavorable recurrence-free survival (RFS). Our findings propose a novel strategy for augmenting sensitivity to OSI-027 in HCC, further underscoring the significance of ARK5 and autophagy as cancer therapeutic targets.