Hsp90 Inhibition Overcomes HGF-Triggering Resistance to EGFR-TKIs in EGFR-Mutant Lung Cancer by Decreasing Client Protein Expression and Angiogenesis

Abstract

The three major clinically relevant mechanisms of acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in EGFR mutant lung cancer are a second mutation in the EGFR gene (T790M), Met amplification, and increased expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Heat shock protein90 (Hsp90) is a 90 kDa molecular chaperone for proteins that include EGFR, Met, and echinoderm microtubule-associated proetin-like-4-the anaplastic lymphoma kinase. Here, we determined whether inhibition of Hsp90 could overcome HGF-triggered EGFR-TKI resistance in EGFR mutant lung cancer cells. The effects of the Hsp90 inhibitor 17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-DMAG) on the growth of lung cancer cells resistant to the EGFR-TKI were examined in the presence and absence of HGF, and in cells transfected with the HGF gene in vitro and in vivo. EGFR-TKI erlotinib did not inhibit the growth of HGF-gene transfected Ma-1 (Ma-1/HGF) cells and H1975 cells, containing the EGFR L858R and T790M mutations, respectively. Erlotinib also did not inhibit the growth of PC-9 and Ma-1 cells, with deletions in EGFR exon19, in the presence of HGF. However, 17-DMAG induced apoptosis and markedly inhibited the growth of these cell lines, even in the presence of HGF. This inhibition by 17-DMAG was associated with decreased expression of EGFR and Met in tumor cells. An in vivo model of HGF-triggered erlotinib-resistance, which used Ma-1/HGF cells, showed that 17-DMAG markedly suppressed tumor growth by decreasing angiogenesis and increasing apoptosis. Hsp90 inhibitors may overcome HGF-triggered resistance to EGFR-TKIs and may result in more successful treatment of patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancers.