Targeting FGFR overcomes EMT-mediated resistance in EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer

Sana Raoof, Iain J. Mulford, Heidie Frisco-Cabanos, Varuna Nangia, Daria Timonina, Emma Labrot, Nafeeza Hafeez, Samantha J. Bilton, Yotam Drier, Fei Ji, Max Greenberg, August Williams, Krystina Kattermann, Leah Damon, Sosathya Sovath, Daniel P. Rakiec, Joshua M. Korn, David A. Ruddy, Cyril H. Benes, Peter S. HammermanZofia Piotrowska, Lecia V. Sequist, Matthew J. Niederst, Jordi Barretina, Jeffrey A. Engelman, Aaron N. Hata*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

156 Scopus citations

Abstract

Evolved resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-targeted therapies remains a major clinical challenge. In epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), failure of EGFR TKIs can result from both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of acquired drug resistance. Widespread reports of histologic and gene expression changes consistent with an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) have been associated with initially surviving drug-tolerant persister cells, which can seed bona fide genetic mechanisms of resistance to EGFR TKIs. While therapeutic approaches targeting fully resistant cells, such as those harboring an EGFRT790M mutation, have been developed, a clinical strategy for preventing the emergence of persister cells remains elusive. Using mesenchymal cell lines derived from biopsies of patients who progressed on EGFR TKI as surrogates for persister populations, we performed whole-genome CRISPR screening and identified fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) as the top target promoting survival of mesenchymal EGFR mutant cancers. Although numerous previous reports of FGFR signaling contributing to EGFR TKI resistance in vitro exist, the data have not yet been sufficiently compelling to instigate a clinical trial testing this hypothesis, nor has the role of FGFR in promoting the survival of persister cells been elucidated. In this study, we find that combining EGFR and FGFR inhibitors inhibited the survival and expansion of EGFR mutant drug-tolerant cells over long time periods, preventing the development of fully resistant cancers in multiple vitro models and in vivo. These results suggest that dual EGFR and FGFR blockade may be a promising clinical strategy for both preventing and overcoming EMT-associated acquired drug resistance and provide motivation for the clinical study of combined EGFR and FGFR inhibition in EGFR-mutated NSCLCs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6399-6413
Number of pages15
JournalOncogene
Volume38
Issue number37
DOIs
StatePublished - 12 Sep 2019
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.

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