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- 2019
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 2. |
- Bokhari, Abdulmalik, et al.
(author)
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Novel human-derived EML4-ALK fusion cell lines identify ribonucleotide reductase RRM2 as a target of activated ALK in NSCLC
- 2022
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In: Lung Cancer. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5002. ; 171, s. 103-114
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: Echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4)-Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) rearrangements occur in 3% to 7% of lung adenocarcinomas and are targets for treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Here we have developed three novel EML4-ALK-positive patient–derived Non-Small-Cell-Lung-Cancer (NSCLC) cancer cell lines, CUTO8 (variant 1), CUTO9 (variant 1) and CUTO29 (variant 3) and included a fourth ALK-positive cell line YU1077 (variant 3) to study ALK-positive signaling and responses. Variants 1 and 3 are the most common EML4-ALK variants expressed in ALK-positive NSCLC, and currently cell lines representing these EML4-ALK variants are limited. Materials and methods: Resazurin assay was performed to evaluate cell viability. Protein levels were determined using western blotting. RNA sequencing was performed in all four cell lines to identify differentially expressed genes. Whole-genome sequencing was performed to determine the presence of EML4-ALK fusion and ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance mutations. Results: In this study, we have confirmed expression of the corresponding ALK fusion protein and assessed their sensitivity to a range of ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors. These patient derived cell lines exhibit differential sensitivity to lorlatinib, brigatinib and alectinib, with EML4-ALK variant 3 containing cell lines exhibiting increased sensitivity to lorlatinib and brigatinib as compared to alectinib. These cell lines were further characterized by whole genome sequencing and RNA-seq analysis that identified the ribonucleotide reductase regulatory subunit 2 (RRM2) as a downstream and potential therapeutic target in ALK-positive NSCLC. Conclusion: We provide a characterization of four novel EML4-ALK-positive NSCLC cell lines, highlighting genomic heterogeneity and differential responses to ALK TKI treatment. The RNA-Seq characterization of ALK-positive NSCLC CUTO8, CUTO9, CUTO29 and YU1077 cell lines reported here, has been compiled in an interactive ShinyApp resource for public data exploration (https://ccgg.ugent.be/shiny/nsclc_rrm2_2022/).
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| 3. |
- Borenäs, Marcus, et al.
(author)
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ALK ligand ALKAL2 potentiates MYCN-driven neuroblastoma in the absence of ALK mutation
- 2021
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In: EMBO Journal. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0261-4189 .- 1460-2075. ; 40:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- High‐risk neuroblastoma (NB) is responsible for a disproportionate number of childhood deaths due to cancer. One indicator of high‐risk NB is amplification of the neural MYC (MYCN) oncogene, which is currently therapeutically intractable. Identification of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) as an NB oncogene raised the possibility of using ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in treatment of patients with activating ALK mutations. 8–10% of primary NB patients are ALK‐positive, a figure that increases in the relapsed population. ALK is activated by the ALKAL2 ligand located on chromosome 2p, along with ALK and MYCN, in the “2p‐gain” region associated with NB. Dysregulation of ALK ligand in NB has not been addressed, although one of the first oncogenes described was v‐sis that shares > 90% homology with PDGF. Therefore, we tested whether ALKAL2 ligand could potentiate NB progression in the absence of ALK mutation. We show that ALKAL2 overexpression in mice drives ALK TKI‐sensitive NB in the absence of ALK mutation, suggesting that additional NB patients, such as those exhibiting 2p‐gain, may benefit from ALK TKI‐based therapeutic intervention.
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| 4. |
- Chuang, Tzu-Po, et al.
(author)
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ALK fusion NSCLC oncogenes promote survival and inhibit NK cell responses via SERPINB4 expression
- 2023
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In: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 120:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion variants in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) consist of numerous dimerizing fusion partners. Retrospective investigations suggest that treatment benefit in response to ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) differs dependent on the fusion variant present in the patient tumor. Therefore, under -standing the oncogenic signaling networks driven by different ALK fusion variants is important. To do this, we developed controlled inducible cell models expressing either Echinoderm Microtubule Associated Protein Like 4 (EML4)-ALK-V1, EML4-ALK-V3, Kinesin Family Member 5B (KIF5B)-ALK, or TRK-fused gene (TFG)-ALK and investi-gated their transcriptomic and proteomic responses to ALK activity modulation together with patient-derived ALK-positive NSCLC cell lines. This allowed identification of both common and isoform-specific responses downstream of these four ALK fusions. An inflammatory signature that included upregulation of the Serpin B4 serine protease inhibitor was observed in both ALK fusion inducible and patient-derived cells. We show that Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NF-kappa B) and Activator protein 1 (AP1) are major transcriptional regulators of SERPINB4 downstream of ALK fusions. Upregulation of SERPINB4promotes survival and inhibits natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, which has potential for therapeutic impact targeting the immune response together with ALK TKIs in NSCLC.
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| 5. |
- Guan, Jikui, et al.
(author)
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ALK F1174S mutation impairs ALK kinase activity in EML4-ALK variant 1 and sensitizes EML4-ALK variant 3 to crizotinib
- 2024
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In: FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 2234-943X. ; 13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ObjectiveTo assess the influence of F1174S mutation on kinase activity and drug sensitivity of the echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion (EML4-ALK) variants 1 and 3.MethodsWe constructed mammalian expression plasmids of both wildtype and F1174 mutant EML4-ALK variants 1 and 3, and then characterized them with cell models by performing immunoblotting, neurite outgrowth assay, focus formation assay as well as protein stability assay. Drug sensitivity to ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors was also compared between wildtype and F1174 mutant EML4-ALK fusions. In addition, we characterized the effect of different F1174 kinase domain mutations in the context of EML4-ALK fusions.ResultsIn contrast to the oncogenic ALK-F1174S mutation that has been reported to be activating in the context of full-length ALK in neuroblastoma, EML4-ALK (F1174S) variant 1 exhibits impaired kinase activity leading to loss of oncogenicity. Furthermore, unlike the previously reported F1174C/L/V mutations, mutation of F1174 to S sensitizes EML4-ALK variants 3a and 3b to crizotinib.ConclusionThese findings highlight the complexity of drug selection when treating patients harboring resistance mutations and suggest that the F1174S mutation in EML4-ALK variant 1 is likely not a potent oncogenic driver. Additional oncogenic driver or other resistance mechanisms should be considered in the case of EML4-ALK variant 1 with F1174S mutation.
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| 6. |
- Lai, Wei-Yun, 1986, et al.
(author)
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Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase signaling stabilizes SLC3A2 expression via MARCH11 to promote neuroblastoma cell growth
- 2024
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In: CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION. - 1350-9047 .- 1476-5403. ; 31, s. 910-923
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Solute Carrier Family 3, Member 2 (SLC3A2 or 4F2hc) is a multifunctional glycoprotein that mediates integrin-dependent signaling, acts as a trafficking chaperone for amino acid transporters, and is involved in polyamine transportation. We identified SLC3A2 as a potential Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) interacting partner in a BioID-proximity labeling screen in neuroblastoma (NB) cells. In this work we show that endogenous SLC3A2 and ALK interact in NB cells and that this SLC3A2:ALK interaction was abrogated upon treatment with the ALK inhibitor lorlatinib. We show here that loss of ALK activity leads to decreased SLC3A2 expression and reduced SLC3A2 protein stability in a panel of NB cell lines, while stimulation of ALK with ALKAL2 ligand resulted in increased SLC3A2 protein levels. We further identified MARCH11, an E3 ligase, as a regulator of SLC3A2 ubiquitination downstream of ALK. Further, knockdown of SLC3A2 resulted in inhibition of NB cell growth. To investigate the therapeutic potential of SLC3A2 targeting, we performed monotreatment of NB cells with AMXT-1501 (a polyamine transport inhibitor), which showed only moderate effects in NB cells. In contrast, a combination lorlatinib/AMXT-1501 treatment resulted in synergistic inhibition of cell growth in ALK-driven NB cell lines. Taken together, our results identify a novel role for the ALK receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), working in concert with the MARCH11 E3 ligase, in regulating SLC3A2 protein stability and function in NB cells. The synergistic effect of combined ALK and polyamine transport inhibition shows that ALK/MARCH11/SLC3A2 regulation of amino acid transport is important for oncogenic growth and survival in NB cells.
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