Nedd9 Restrains Autophagy to Limit Growth of Early Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common cancer worldwide. With overall 5-year survival estimated at <17%, it is critical to identify factors that regulate NSCLC disease prognosis. NSCLC is commonly driven by mutations in KRAS and TP53, with activation of additional kinases such as SRC promoting tumor invasion. In this study, we investigated the role of NEDD9, a SRC activator and scaffolding protein, in NSCLC tumorigenesis. In an inducible model of NSCLC dependent on Kras mutation and Trp53 loss (KP mice), deletion of Nedd9 (KPN mice) led to the emergence of larger tumors characterized by accelerated rates of tumor growth and elevated proliferation. Orthotopic injection of KP and KPN tumors into the lungs of Nedd9-wild-type and -null mice indicated the effect of Nedd9 loss was cell-autonomous. Tumors in KPN mice displayed reduced activation of SRC and AKT, indicating that activation of these pathways did not mediate enhanced growth of KPN tumors. NSCLC tumor growth has been shown to require active autophagy, a process dependent on activation of the kinases LKB1 and AMPK. KPN tumors contained high levels of active LKB1 and AMPK and increased autophagy compared with KP tumors. Treatment with the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine completely eliminated the growth advantage of KPN tumors. These data for the first time identify NEDD9 as a negative regulator of LKB1/AMPK-dependent autophagy during early NSCLC tumor growth. SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrates a novel role for the scaffolding protein NEDD9 in regulating LKB1-AMPK signaling in early stage non-small cell lung cancer, suppressing autophagy and tumor growth.

Ganetespib limits ciliation and cystogenesis in autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

Autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is associated with progressive formation of renal cysts, kidney enlargement, hypertension, and typically end-stage renal disease. In ADPKD, inherited mutations disrupt function of the polycystins (encoded by PKD1 and PKD2), thus causing loss of a cyst-repressive signal emanating from the renal cilium. Genetic studies have suggested ciliary maintenance is essential for ADPKD pathogenesis. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) clients include multiple proteins linked to ciliary maintenance. We determined that ganetespib, a clinical HSP90 inhibitor, inhibited proteasomal repression of NEK8 and the Aurora-A activator trichoplein, rapidly activating Aurora-A kinase and causing ciliary loss in vitro. Using conditional mouse models for ADPKD, we performed long-term (10 or 50 wk) dosing experiments that demonstrated HSP90 inhibition caused durable in vivo loss of cilia, controlled cystic growth, and ameliorated symptoms induced by loss of Pkd1 or Pkd2. Ganetespib efficacy was not increased by combination with 2-deoxy-d-glucose, a glycolysis inhibitor showing some promise for ADPKD. These studies identify a new biologic activity for HSP90 and support a cilia-based mechanism for cyst repression.-Nikonova, A. S., Deneka, A. Y., Kiseleva, A. A., Korobeynikov, V., Gaponova, A., Serebriiskii, I. G., Kopp, M. C., Hensley, H. H., Seeger-Nukpezah, T. N., Somlo, S., Proia, D. A., Golemis, E. A. Ganetespib limits ciliation and cystogenesis in autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

Tumor-targeted SN38 inhibits growth of early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a KRas/p53 transgenic mouse model.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with a 5-year survival of only ~16%. Potential strategies to address NSCLC mortality include improvements in early detection and prevention, and development of new therapies suitable for use in patients with early and late stage diagnoses. Controlling the growth of early stage tumors could yield significant clinical benefits for patients with comorbidities that make them poor candidates for surgery: however, many drugs that limit cancer growth are not useful in the setting of long-term use or in comorbid patients, because of associated toxicities. In this study, we explored the use of a recently described small molecule agent, STA-8666, as a potential agent for controlling early stage tumor growth. STA-8666 uses a cleavable linker to merge a tumor-targeting moiety that binds heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) with the cytotoxic chemical SN38, and has been shown to have high efficacy and low toxicity, associated with efficient tumor targeting, in preclinical studies using patient-derived and other xenograft models for pancreatic, bladder, and small cell lung cancer. Using a genetically engineered model of NSCLC arising from induced mutation of KRas and knockout of Trp53, we continuously dosed mice with STA-8666 from immediately after tumor induction for 15 weeks. STA-8666 significantly slowed the rate of tumor growth, and was well tolerated over this extended dosing period. STA-8666 induced DNA damage and apoptosis, and reduced proliferation and phosphorylation of the proliferation-associated protein ERK1/2, selectively in tumor tissue. In contrast, STA-8666 did not affect tumor features, such as degree of vimentin staining, associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), or downregulate tumor expression of HSP90. These data suggest STA-8666 and other similar targeted compounds may be useful additions to control the growth of early stage NSCLC in patient populations.

A Novel HSP90 Inhibitor-Drug Conjugate to SN38 Is Highly Effective in Small Cell Lung Cancer.

PURPOSE: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive disease representing 12% to 13% of total lung cancers, with median survival of <2 years. No targeted therapies have proven effective in SCLC. Although most patients respond initially to cytotoxic chemotherapies, resistance rapidly emerges, response to second-line agents is limited, and dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) are a major issue. This study performs preclinical evaluation of a new compound, STA-8666, in SCLC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: To avoid DLT for useful cytotoxic agents, the recently developed drug STA-8666 combines a chemical moiety targeting active HSP90 (concentrated in tumors) fused via cleavable linker to SN38, the active metabolite of irinotecan. We compare potency and mechanism of action of STA-8666 and irinotecan in vitro and in vivo RESULTS: In two SCLC xenograft and patient-derived xenograft models, STA-8666 was tolerated without side effects up to 150 mg/kg. At this dose, STA-8666 controlled or eliminated established tumors whether used in a first-line setting or in tumors that had progressed following treatment on standard first- and second-line agents for SCLC. At 50 mg/kg, STA-8666 strongly enhanced the action of carboplatin. Pharmacokinetic profiling confirmed durable STA-8666 exposure in tumors compared with irinotecan. STA-8666 induced a more rapid, robust, and stable induction of cell-cycle arrest, expression of signaling proteins associated with DNA damage and cell-cycle checkpoints, and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, in comparison with irinotecan. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results strongly support clinical development of STA-8666 for use in the first- or second-line setting for SCLC. Clin Cancer Res; 22(20); 5120-9. ©2016 AACR.

Opposing Effects of Inhibitors of Aurora-A and EGFR in Autosomal-Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Aurora-A kinase (AURKA) overexpression in numerous tumors induces aneuploidy, in part because of cytokinetic defects. Alisertib and other small-molecule inhibitors targeting AURKA are effective in some patients as monotherapies or combination therapies. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pro-proliferative signaling activity is commonly elevated in cancer, and the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib is commonly used as a standard of care agent for cancer. An erlotinib/alisertib combination therapy is currently under assessment in clinical trials, following pre-clinical studies that indicated synergy of these drugs in cancer. We were interested in further exploring the activity of this drug combination. Beyond well-established functions for AURKA in mitotic progression, additional non-mitotic AURKA functions include control of ciliary stability and calcium signaling. Interestingly, alisertib exacerbates the disease phenotype in mouse models for autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), a common inherited syndrome induced by aberrant signaling from PKD1 and PKD2, cilia-localized proteins that have calcium channel activity. EGFR is also more active in ADPKD, making erlotinib also of potential interest in this disease setting. In this study, we have explored the interaction of alisertib and erlotinib in an ADPKD model. These experiments indicated erlotinib--restrained cystogenesis, opposing alisertib action. Erlotinib also interacted with alisertib to regulate proliferative signaling proteins, albeit in a complicated manner. Results suggest a nuanced role of AURKA signaling in different pathogenic conditions and inform the clinical use of AURKA inhibitors in cancer patients with comorbidities.

Adaptors for disorders of the brain? The cancer signaling proteins NEDD9, CASS4, and PTK2B in Alzheimer's disease.

No treatment strategies effectively limit the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a common and debilitating neurodegenerative disorder. The absence of viable treatment options reflects the fact that the pathophysiology and genotypic causes of the disease are not well understood. The advent of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has made it possible to broadly investigate genotypic alterations driving phenotypic occurrences. Recent studies have associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in two paralogous scaffolding proteins, NEDD9 and CASS4, and the kinase PTK2B, with susceptibility to late-onset AD (LOAD). Intriguingly, NEDD9, CASS4, and PTK2B have been much studied as interacting partners regulating oncogenesis and metastasis, and all three are known to be active in the brain during development and in cancer. However, to date, the majority of studies of these proteins have emphasized their roles in the directly cancer relevant processes of migration and survival signaling. We here discuss evidence for roles of NEDD9, CASS4 and PTK2B in additional processes, including hypoxia, vascular changes, inflammation, microtubule stabilization and calcium signaling, as potentially relevant to the pathogenesis of LOAD. Reciprocally, these functions can better inform our understanding of the action of NEDD9, CASS4 and PTK2B in cancer.