Allosteric AKT Inhibitors Target Synthetic Lethal Vulnerabilities in E-Cadherin-Deficient Cells
Cancer Genetics Laboratory, Centre for Translational Cancer Research (Te Aho Matatū), Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
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Cancers 2019, 11(9), 1359; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers11091359
Received: 29 July 2019 / Revised: 4 September 2019 / Accepted: 10 September 2019 / Published: 13 September 2019
The CDH1 gene, encoding the cell adhesion protein E-cadherin, is one of the most frequently mutated genes in gastric cancer and inactivating germline CDH1 mutations are responsible for hereditary diffuse gastric cancer syndrome (HDGC). Using cell viability assays, we identified that breast (MCF10A) and gastric (NCI-N87) cells lacking CDH1 expression are more sensitive to allosteric AKT inhibitors than their CDH1-expressing isogenic counterparts. Apoptosis priming and total apoptosis assays in the isogenic MCF10A cells confirmed the enhanced sensitivity of E-cadherin-null cells to the AKT inhibitors. In addition, two of these inhibitors, ARQ-092 and MK2206, preferentially targeted mouse-derived gastric Cdh1−/− organoids for growth arrest. AKT protein expression and activation (as measured by phosphorylation of serine 473) were differentially regulated in E-cadherin-null MCF10A and NCI-N87 cells, with downregulation in the normal breast cells, but upregulation in the gastric cancer cells. Bioinformatic analysis of the TCGA STAD dataset revealed that AKT3, but not AKT1 or AKT2, is upregulated in the majority of E-cadherin-deficient gastric cancers. In conclusion, allosteric AKT inhibitors represent a promising class of drugs for chemoprevention and chemotherapy of cancers with E-cadherin loss.
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Keywords:
E-cadherin; AKT; diffuse gastric cancer; synthetic lethality; chemoprevention
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MDPI and ACS Style
Bougen-Zhukov, N.; Nouri, Y.; Godwin, T.; Taylor, M.; Hakkaart, C.; Single, A.; Brew, T.; Permina, E.; Chen, A.; Black, M.A.; Guilford, P. Allosteric AKT Inhibitors Target Synthetic Lethal Vulnerabilities in E-Cadherin-Deficient Cells. Cancers 2019, 11, 1359.
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