Abstract 798: Androgen receptor, PI3K/mTOR and PSMA: Exploring and exploiting the interplay between therapeutic targets in prostate cancer

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Androgen receptor (AR), the PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) represent significant potential targets for prostate cancer therapy. The present study examined the cross-regulation and co-targeting of these molecular pathways. Methods: Cytotoxicity and the kinetics of antigen expression were evaluated in prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP and C4-2) that vary according to androgen dependence. Expression of PSMA, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and AR was evaluated in cells cultured in rapamycin and AR inhibitors. Cells were tested for susceptibility to PI3K/mTOR inhibitors used alone and in combination with PSMA ADC, a fully human PSMA monoclonal antibody conjugated to the microtubule disrupting agent monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE). Potential drug synergy or antagonism was evaluated using the Bliss independence method. Results: In androgen-dependent LNCaP cells, rapamycin exerted antiproliferative effects that were accompanied by an increase in AR expression and signaling in the absence of any significant effect on PSMA expression. In androgen-independent C4-2 cells, rapamycin increased AR expression/signaling and PSMA expression in the absence of any significant anti-proliferative effect. AR inhibitors synergized with PSMA ADC in LNCaP and C4-2 cells, but PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibitors synergized with PSMA ADC in C4-2 cells only. More modest synergy was observed by combining non-targeted microtubule inhibitors with inhibitors of AR or mTOR. Compared with rapamycin, GDC0941 (PI3K inhibitor) and MK-2206 (Akt inhibitor), both upstream of mTOR, synergized less strongly with PSMA ADC in C4-2 cells. Conclusions: In this study, AR and PI3K/mTOR pathways exhibited cross-regulation impacting PSMA expression. PSMA ADC synergized with AR and mTOR inhibitors via a multimodal mechanism involving increased PSMA expression and disruption of microtubule function. The findings support clinical exploration of regimens combining PSMA-targeted therapies with inhibitors of the AR and/or PI3K/mTOR signaling pathways. Citation Format: Jose D. Murga, Wells W. Magargal, Sameer M. Moorji, Vincent A. DiPippo, William C. Olson. Androgen receptor, PI3K/mTOR and PSMA: Exploring and exploiting the interplay between therapeutic targets in prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 798. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-798