BRAFi-resistant Melanoma Research Articles

Abstract 89: Targeting Rho/MRTF regulated gene transcription in drug-resistant melanoma

Abstract Much of the recent focus of melanoma targeted therapy has been on the ERK pathway, which is aberrantly activated in approximately 90% of melanoma tumors (over half of which express BRAFV600E). Current targeted therapies such as vemurafenib (BRAFV600E inhibitor), or a combination therapy using dabrafenib (BRAFV600E inhibitor) and low dose trametinib (MEK inhibitor) shows profound initial effects in a majority of BRAFV600E expressing tumors. However, these responses are often short-lived and resistances typically develops within months. Resistance to these targeted therapies can arise from multiple mechanisms, including activation of pro-survival signaling pathways parallel to the ERK pathway. The goal of this work is to identify pharmacologically targetable resistance mechanisms so that effective combination therapies can be developed. Despite the clear role of the RhoA subfamily of Rho GTPases (RhoA/B/C) as melanoma oncogenes, their role in drug resistance is not well understood. It is challenging to develop small molecule inhibitors which directly target the activity of small Rho GTPases, so an alternative approach is to inhibit downstream pathways. Through modulation of the actin cytoskeleton Rho can induce gene transcription through multiple transcriptional co-activators including Myocardin-Related Transcription Factor (MRTF) and Yes-Associated Protein 1 (YAP). My bioinformatics analysis demonstrates that MRTF-A gene expression is correlated with poor overall survival in a large cohort of cutaneous melanoma patients. Furthermore, expression of a set of 216 MRTF target genes is enriched in dabrafenib/trametinib resistant cutaneous melanoma tumors compared to matched pre-treatment tumors, suggesting that MRTF activation may be involved in drug resistance. Based upon these results I hypothesized that small Rho GTPases may promote resistance to MAPK pathway targeted therapies through activation of MRTF/YAP. To test this hypothesis, I generated vemurafenib resistant melanoma cells through chronic exposure to vemurafenib. This vemurafenib-resistant cell population is enriched for actin stress fiber positive cells, and these cells have increased Myosin Light Chain 2 (MLC2) phosphorylation, suggesting that there is increased Rho activation. Furthermore, these drug resistant cells are more sensitive to pharmacological inhibition of MRTF activity. These preliminary data suggest that vemurafenib resistant melanoma cells may be re-wired to depend on the Rho-induced gene transcription for their survival, and that a combination therapy simultaneously targeting these two pathways may be an effective treatment strategy for BRAF inhibitor-resistant melanomas. Citation Format: Sean A. Misek, Scott D. Larsen, Kathleen A. Gallo, Richard R. Neubig. Targeting Rho/MRTF regulated gene transcription in drug-resistant melanoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 89. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-89

Inhibition of Mitochondrial Matrix Chaperones and Antiapoptotic Bcl-2 Family Proteins Empower Antitumor Therapeutic Responses

Rational therapeutic approaches based on synthetic lethality may improve cancer management. On the basis of a high-throughput drug screen, we provide preclinical proof of concept that targeting the mitochondrial Hsp90 chaperone network (mtHsp90) and inhibition of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1 is sufficient to elicit synthetic lethality in tumors recalcitrant to therapy. Our analyses focused on BH3 mimetics that are broad acting (ABT263 and obatoclax) or selective (ABT199, WEHI-539, and A1210477), along with the established mitochondrial matrix chaperone inhibitor gamitrinib-TPP. Drug combinations were tested in various therapy-resistant tumors in vitro and in vivo in murine model systems of melanoma, triple-negative breast cancer, and patient-derived orthotopic xenografts (PDX) of human glioblastoma. We found that combining BH3 mimetics and gamitrinib-TPP blunted cellular proliferation in a synergistic manner by massive activation of intrinsic apoptosis. In like manner, suppressing either Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, or Mcl-1 recapitulated the effects of BH3 mimetics and enhanced the effects of gamitrinib-TPP. Mechanistic investigations revealed that gamitrinib-TPP activated a PERK-dependent integrated stress response, which activated the proapoptotic BH3 protein Noxa and its downstream targets Usp9X and Mcl-1. Notably, in the PDX glioblastoma and BRAFi-resistant melanoma models, this drug combination safely and significantly extended host survival. Our results show how combining mitochondrial chaperone and Bcl-2 family inhibitors can synergize to safely degrade the growth of tumors recalcitrant to other treatments. Cancer Res; 77(13); 3513-26. ©2017 AACR.

ROS production induced by BRAF inhibitor treatment rewires metabolic processes affecting cell growth of melanoma cells

BackgroundMost melanoma patients with BRAFV600E positive tumors respond well to a combination of BRAF kinase and MEK inhibitors. However, some patients are intrinsically resistant while the majority of patients eventually develop drug resistance to the treatment. For patients insufficiently responding to BRAF and MEK inhibitors, there is an ongoing need for new treatment targets. Cellular metabolism is such a promising new target line: mutant BRAFV600E has been shown to affect the metabolism.MethodsTime course experiments and a series of western blots were performed in a panel of BRAFV600E and BRAFWT/NRASmut human melanoma cells, which were incubated with BRAF and MEK1 kinase inhibitors. siRNA approaches were used to investigate the metabolic players involved. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured by confocal microscopy and AZD7545, an inhibitor targeting PDKs (pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase) was tested.ResultsWe show that inhibition of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway induces phosphorylation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase PDH-E1α subunit in BRAFV600E and in BRAFWT/NRASmut harboring cells. Inhibition of BRAF, MEK1 and siRNA knock-down of ERK1/2 mediated phosphorylation of PDH. siRNA-mediated knock-down of all PDKs or the use of DCA (a pan-PDK inhibitor) abolished PDH-E1α phosphorylation. BRAF inhibitor treatment also induced the upregulation of ROS, concomitantly with the induction of PDH phosphorylation. Suppression of ROS by MitoQ suppressed PDH-E1α phosphorylation, strongly suggesting that ROS mediate the activation of PDKs. Interestingly, the inhibition of PDK1 with AZD7545 specifically suppressed growth of BRAF-mutant and BRAF inhibitor resistant melanoma cells.ConclusionsIn BRAFV600E and BRAFWT/NRASmut melanoma cells, the increased production of ROS upon inhibition of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway, is responsible for activating PDKs, which in turn phosphorylate and inactivate PDH. As part of a possible salvage pathway, the tricarboxylic acid cycle is inhibited leading to reduced oxidative metabolism and reduced ROS levels. We show that inhibition of PDKs by AZD7545 leads to growth suppression of BRAF-mutated and -inhibitor resistant melanoma cells. Thus small molecule PDK inhibitors such as AZD7545, might be promising drugs for combination treatment in melanoma patients with activating RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway mutations (50% BRAF, 25% NRASmut, 11.9% NF1mut).

P90RSK Blockade Inhibits Dual BRAF and MEK Inhibitor-Resistant Melanoma by Targeting Protein Synthesis

Despite improvements in survival in metastatic melanoma with combined BRAF and mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibitor treatment, the overwhelming majority of patients eventually acquire resistance to both agents. Consequently, new targets for therapy in resistant tumors are currently being evaluated. Previous studies have identified p90 subfamily of ribosomal S6 kinase (p90RSK) family kinases as key factors for growth and proliferation, as well as protein synthesis via assembly of the 7-methyl-guanosine triphosphate cap-dependent translation complex. We sought to evaluate inhibitors of p90RSK family members: BI-D1870 and BRD7389, for their ability to inhibit both proliferation and protein synthesis in patient-derived melanoma cell lines with acquired resistance to combined treatment with the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib and the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibitor selumetinib. We found that the RSK inhibitors blocked cell proliferation and protein synthesis in multiple dual-resistant melanoma lines. In addition, single agent RSK inhibitor treatment was effective in drug-naïve lines, two of which are innately vemurafenib resistant. We also used Reverse Phase Protein Array screening to identify differential protein expression that correlates with BI-D1870 sensitivity, and identified prognostic biomarkers for survival in human melanoma patients. These findings establish p90RSK inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in treatment-resistant melanoma and provide insight into the mechanism of action.

ASN003, a highly selective BRAF and PI3K inhibitor: Preclinical and phase 1 clinical data in patients with advanced solid tumors.

e14102 Background: RAS-RAF-MEK and PI3K-AKT-mTOR are two major signaling pathways involved in tumorigenesis. Components of these two pathways are frequently mutated in a broad range of tumors. ASN003 is a novel and highly selective small-molecule inhibitor of the RAS-RAF-MEK and PI3K pathways. Methods: The activity of ASN003 was determined using PI3K and BRAF enzymes, and efficacy was studied in human tumor xenograft models in mice. ASN003 is currently being investigated in patients with solid tumors in a Phase 1 trial using an accelerated dose titration design. In Part A, safety and tolerability of ASN003 is being studied in patients with advanced solid tumors. In Part B, safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of ASN003 will be evaluated in melanoma, CRC and NSCLC patients with a BRAF, PIK3CA or PTEN mutation. Pharmacokinetic (PK) profile and the pharmacodynamic (PD) effects of ASN003 on biomarkers such as pERK and pS6 are investigated in both parts of the study. Results: ASN003 showed potent and highly selective inhibition of BRAF and PI3K-α and -δ, and low affinity for PI3K-ß. ASN003 showed strong antiproliferative activity in cell lines and caused significant tumor growth inhibition in xenograft models harboring BRAF and PIK3CA or PTEN mutations. ASN003 showed antiproliferative activity in B-RAF and MEK inhibitor resistant cell lines. ASN003 had a strong antitumor activity in a BRAFV600mutant melanoma PDX model resistant to BRAF inhibitors, vemurafenib and dabrafenib. In humans, to date, ASN003 was well tolerated at 10 and 20 mg QD. Adverse events were mild and peak plasma level of 120 nM at 10 mg QD was achieved with a half-life of > 12 h. Dose escalation is ongoing. Conclusions: ASN003 is a unique small molecule, with highly selective and potent inhibition of BRAF, PI3-α and -δ kinases. ASN003 has strong antitumor activity in various xenograft tumor models harboring both BRAF and PIK3CA/PTEN mutations, and in a BRAF inhibitor resistant melanoma PDX model. To date, ASN003 was well tolerated and achieved good systemic exposure. Updated and detailed clinical, PK and PD results will be presented. Clinical trial information: NCT02961283.

Clinical significance of intronic variants in BRAF inhibitor resistant melanomas with altered BRAF transcript splicing

Alternate BRAF splicing is the most common mechanism of acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitor treatment in melanoma. Recently, alternate BRAF exon 4–8 splicing was shown to involve an intronic mutation, located 51 nucleotides upstream of BRAF exon 9 within a predicted splicing branch point. This intronic mutation was identified in a single cell line but has not been examined in vivo. Herein we demonstrate that in three melanomas biopsied from patients with acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitors, alternate BRAF exon 4–8 splicing is not associated with this intronic branch point mutation. We also confirm that melanoma cells expressing BRAF splicing variants retain exquisite sensitivity to existing FDA-approved MEK inhibitors.

Myeloid Cells That Impair Immunotherapy Are Restored in Melanomas with Acquired Resistance to BRAF Inhibitors.

Acquired resistance to BRAFV600E inhibitors (BRAFi) in melanoma remains a common clinical obstacle, as is the case for any targeted drug therapy that can be developed given the plastic nature of cancers. Although there has been significant focus on the cancer cell-intrinsic properties of BRAFi resistance, the impact of BRAFi resistance on host immunity has not been explored. Here we provide preclinical evidence that resistance to BRAFi in an autochthonous mouse model of melanoma is associated with restoration of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) in the tumor microenvironment, initially reduced by BRAFi treatment. In contrast to restoration of MDSCs, levels of T regulatory cells remained reduced in BRAFi-resistant tumors. Accordingly, tumor gene expression signatures specific for myeloid cell chemotaxis and homeostasis reappeared in BRAFi-resistant tumors. Notably, MDSC restoration relied upon MAPK pathway reactivation and downstream production of the myeloid attractant CCL2 in BRAFi-resistant melanoma cells. Strikingly, although combination checkpoint blockade (anti-CTLA-4 + anti-PD-1) was ineffective against BRAFi-resistant melanomas, the addition of MDSC depletion/blockade (anti-Gr-1 + CCR2 antagonist) prevented outgrowth of BRAFi-resistant tumors. Our results illustrate how extrinsic pathways of immunosuppression elaborated by melanoma cells dominate the tumor microenvironment and highlight the need to target extrinsic as well as intrinsic mechanisms of drug resistance. Cancer Res; 77(7); 1599-610. ©2017 AACR.

Tumor heterogeneity, clonality and single cells.

Tumor heterogeneity, clonality and single cells.

Targeting the hedgehog transcription factors GLI1 and GLI2 restores sensitivity to vemurafenib-resistant human melanoma cells

BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) therapy for melanoma patients harboring the V600E mutation is initially highly effective, but almost all patients relapse within a few months. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning BRAFi-based therapy is therefore an important issue. Here we identified a previously unsuspected mechanism of BRAFi resistance driven by elevated Hedgehog (Hh) pathway activation that is observed in a cohort of melanoma patients after vemurafenib treatment. Specifically, we demonstrate that melanoma cell lines, with acquired in vitro-induced vemurafenib resistance, show increased levels of glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 and 2 (GLI1/GLI2) compared with naïve cells. We also observed these findings in clinical melanoma specimens. Moreover, the increased expression of the transcription factors GLI1/GLI2 was independent of canonical Hh signaling and was instead correlated with the noncanonical Hh pathway, involving TGFβ/SMAD (transforming growth factor-β/Sma- and Mad-related family) signaling. Knockdown of GLI1 and GLI2 restored sensitivity to vemurafenib-resistant cells, an effect associated with both growth arrest and senescence. Treatment of vemurafenib-resistant cells with the GLI1/GLI2 inhibitor Gant61 led to decreased invasion of the melanoma cells in a three-dimensional skin reconstruct model and was associated with a decrease in metalloproteinase (MMP2/MMP9) expression and microphthalmia transcription factor upregulation. Gant61 monotherapy did not alter the drug sensitivity of naïve cells, but could reverse the resistance of melanoma cells chronically treated with vemurafenib. We further noted that alternating dosing schedules of Gant61 and vemurafenib prevented the onset of BRAFi resistance, suggesting that this could be a potential therapeutic strategy for the prevention of therapeutic escape. Our results suggest that targeting the Hh pathway in BRAFi-resistant melanoma may represent a viable therapeutic strategy to restore vemurafenib sensitivity, reducing or even inhibiting the acquired chemoresistance in melanoma patients.

High-resolution interrogation of functional elements in the noncoding genome.

The noncoding genome affects gene regulation and disease, yet we lack tools for rapid identification and manipulation of noncoding elements. We developed a CRISPR screen using ~18,000 single guide RNAs targeting >700 kilobases surrounding the genes NF1, NF2, and CUL3, which are involved in BRAF inhibitor resistance in melanoma. We find that noncoding locations that modulate drug resistance also harbor predictive hallmarks of noncoding function. With a subset of regions at the CUL3 locus, we demonstrate that engineered mutations alter transcription factor occupancy and long-range and local epigenetic environments, implicating these sites in gene regulation and chemotherapeutic resistance. Through our expansion of the potential of pooled CRISPR screens, we provide tools for genomic discovery and for elucidating biologically relevant mechanisms of gene regulation.

Loss of cohesin complex components STAG2 or STAG3 confers resistance to BRAF inhibition in melanoma.

The protein kinase V-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (BRAF) is an oncogenic driver and therapeutic target in melanoma. Inhibitors of BRAF (BRAFi) have shown high response rates and extended survival in melanoma patients bearing tumors that express BRAF Val600 mutations, but a vast majority of these patients develop drug resistance. Here we show that loss of Stromal antigen 2 or 3 (STAG2 or STAG3), which encode subunits of the cohesin complex, in melanoma cells results in resistance to BRAFi. We identified loss-of-function mutations in STAG2 as well as decreased expression of STAG2 or STAG3 proteins in several tumor samples from patients with acquired resistance to BRAFi and in BRAFi-resistant melanoma cell lines. Knockdown of STAG2 or STAG3 decreased sensitivity of Val600Glu BRAF-mutant melanoma cells and xenograft tumors to BRAFi. Loss of STAG2 inhibited CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF)-mediated expression of dual specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6), leading to reactivation of ERK signaling. Our studies unveil a previously unknown genetic mechanism of BRAFi resistance and provide new insights into the tumor suppressor function of STAG2 and STAG3.

MiR-7 reverses the resistance to BRAFi in melanoma by targeting EGFR/IGF-1R/CRAF and inhibiting the MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are attractive therapeutic targets for various therapy-resistant tumors. However, the association between miRNA and BRAF inhibitor resistance in melanoma remains to be elucidated. We used microarray analysis to comprehensively study the miRNA expression profiling of vemurafenib resistant (VemR) A375 melanoma cells in relation to parental A375 melanoma cells. MicroRNA-7 (miR-7) was identified to be the most significantly down-regulated miRNA in VemR A375 melanoma cells. We also found that miR-7 was down-regulated in Mel-CVR cells (vemurafenib resistant Mel-CV melanoma cells). Reestablishment of miR-7 expression could reverse the resistance of both cells to vemurafenib. We showed that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and CRAF were over-expressed in VemR A375 melanoma cells. Introduction of miR-7 mimics could markedly decrease the expressions of EGFR, IGF-1R and CRAF and further suppressed the activation of MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathway in VemR A375 melanoma cells. Furthermore, tumor growth was inhibited in an in vivo murine VemR A375 melanoma tumor model transfected with miR-7 mimics. Collectively, our study demonstrated that miR-7 could reverse the resistance to BRAF inhibitors in certain vemurafenib resistant melanoma cell lines. It could advance the field and provide the basis for further studies in BRAF inhibitor resistance in melanoma.

Abstract 301: Identification of NRAS isoform 2 overexpression as a novel mechanism facilitating BRAF inhibitor resistance in malignant melanoma (MM)

Abstract Activating mutations in BRAF are found in 50% of melanomas and are associated with poor outcomes due to constitutive activation of the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Treatment with BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi), such as vemurafenib, is effective but resistance can develop. A major mechanism of resistance involves feedback loop-mediated increased expression of the NRAS gene. Recently, we discovered the NRAS transcript is differentially spliced to give 5 novel isoforms (isos), which differ in their expression, cellular localization and downstream effects. We hypothesized that differential expression of one or more of the isos may contribute to the development of BRAFi resistance. We assessed iso-specific NRAS expression in 14 MM cell lines and melanocytes, and noted a curious expression profile of iso2: while undetectable in melanocytes and BRAFwt MM cells, its abundance was increased in BRAFmut cells, and it was the only NRAS iso highly overexpressed in 3 BRAFi resistant cell lines (p<0.01). Iso2 is characterized by an additional exon (exon 3b) compared to canonical NRAS iso1. To explore the possible role of NRAS iso2 in MM, BRAFmut A375 cells were engineered to overexpress NRAS isos 1, 2 and empty vector (EV). Iso2 overexpression led to significantly increased MM cell proliferation in vitro, and surprisingly also increased proliferation during treatment with BRAFi (p<0.001). In a xenograft model, athymic nude mice with A375 tumors stably overexpressing iso1, iso2 or EV were treated with oral BRAFi (50 mg/kg) or PBS for 21 days. Iso 2 overexpressing tumors did not respond to in vivo treatment with BRAFi and grew faster than their iso 1 overexpressing and EV counterparts, as quantified by IVIS imaging, which resulted in a significantly shortened survival of both BRAFi and PBS treated iso2 mice. In contrast, overexpression of canonical iso1 did not affect BRAFi sensitivity. Strikingly, shRNA-mediated knockdown of iso2 in BRAFi resistant cells resulted in decreased survival compared to iso1 or scramble knockdowns. Downstream signaling analysis utilizing immunoblots and confocal microscopy indicated a decrease in MAPK signaling and an increase in PI3K signaling in iso2 overexpressing cells compared to iso1 overexpressing cells. Protein complex immunoprecipitation of iso2 in COS-7 cells validated a binding affinity of NRAS iso2 to both PI3K and BRAF/RAF1. Since MAPK signaling is strongly reduced in iso2 expressing cells, this may suggest an allosteric inhibition mechanism, which prevents binding and activation of BRAF by canonical NRAS iso1. This study indicates for the first time that NRAS iso2 may play a role in BRAFi resistance by facilitating alternative survival signaling through the PI3K pathway in the presence of MAPK pathway inhibition. Targeting NRAS iso2 may be a beneficial treatment strategy in the prevention and management of BRAFi resistance in melanoma. Citation Format: Megan Duggan, Andrew Stiff, Gonzalo Olaverria Salavaggione, Maryam Bainazar, Nicholas Latchana, Joseph Markowitz, Albert de la Chapelle, Ann-Kathrin Eisfeld, William Carson. Identification of NRAS isoform 2 overexpression as a novel mechanism facilitating BRAF inhibitor resistance in malignant melanoma (MM). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 301.

Abstract 470: Application of sequencing, liquid biopsies and patient derived xenografts for personalized medicine in melanoma

Abstract BRAF/MEK inhibitors and immunotherapies have revolutionized care for patients with advanced melanoma, improving expected median survival from 9 months to 25-30 months, but the majority of patients still die of their disease. Personalized medicine strives to individualize and improve patient care. To individualize treatment decisions in advanced melanoma we analyzed 364 samples from 214 patients. We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis, and we developed patient derived xenografts (PDX). WES and targeted sequencing of ctDNA allowed us to predict responses to therapy and to identify and monitor mechanisms of resistance. WES of tumors revealed new therapeutic strategies in BRAF V600 wild-type and BRAF inhibitor-resistant melanoma and we validated these in patient derived xenografts (PDX). Thus, we describe a powerful combination of techniques for personalized medicine to improve the management of melanoma patients. Citation Format: Maria R. Girotti, Gabriela Gremel, Rebecca Lee, Elena Galvani, Dominic Rothwell, Amaya Viros, Amit Kumar Mandal, Kok Haw Jonathan Lim, Grazia Saturno, Simon J Furney, Franziska Baenke, Malin Pedersen, Jane Rogan, Jacqueline Swan, Matthew Smith, Alberto Fusi, Deemesh Oudit, Nathalie Dhomen, Ged Brady, Caroline Dive, Richard Marais. Application of sequencing, liquid biopsies and patient derived xenografts for personalized medicine in melanoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 470.

Abstract LB-212: Therapeutic efficacy of the paradox-breaking panRAF and SRC drug CCT3833/BAL3833 in KRAS-driven cancer models

Abstract KRAS is mutated in ∼80% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), ∼35% of colorectal cancer (CRC) and ∼20% of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). KRAS remains an intractable drug target and targeting the downstream pathway component is ineffective because feedback mechanisms or parallel pathways provide alternative routes to cell proliferation and/or survival. Here we show that a new panRAF/SRC inhibitor, CCT3833, is active in KRAS-mutant PDAC, CRC and NSCLC. We demonstrate that CCT3833 inhibits tumor growth in several KRAS-driven cancers via inhibition of RAF and SRC, eliciting therapeutic efficacy at well-tolerated doses in mouse models of human cancer. CCT3833 has already entered clinical trials (NCT02437227) for BRAF mutant and BRAF inhibitor-resistant melanomas and these new data show that it is also effective in KRAS mutant cancers, potentially providing a new therapeutic option for these patients. Citation Format: Grazia Saturno, Filipa Lopes, Maria Romina Girotti, Ion Niculescu-Duvaz, Dan Niculescu-Duvaz, Alfonso Zambon, Lawrence Davies, Louise Johnson, Natasha Preece, Amaya Viros, Malin Pedersen, Robert McLeary, Ruth Knight, Rebecca Lee, Denys Holovanchuk, Paul Lorigan, Nathalie Dhomen, Richard Marais, Caroline Springer. Therapeutic efficacy of the paradox-breaking panRAF and SRC drug CCT3833/BAL3833 in KRAS-driven cancer models. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-212.

Signal Sequence Receptor 2 is required for survival of human melanoma cells as part of an unfolded protein response to endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Current therapy approaches in melanoma targeting have met with the development of resistance and tumour recurrence with a more aggressive phenotype. In a quest for alternative therapy targets, we had previously identified Signal Sequence Receptor 2 (SSR2) as a gene with high expression in a subgroup of human primary melanomas. Now we show that SSR2 exerts a prosurvival functionality in human melanoma cells and that high expression levels of SSR2 are associated with an unfavourable disease outcome in primary melanoma patients. Consistent with SSR's role in translocation of proteins from the ribosome across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, our data supports induction of SSR2 as a part of the ER stress response. This response included SSR2 upregulation upon development of therapy resistance to BRAF inhibitors, as well as the dependency of cell survival of BRAF inhibitor-resistant melanoma cells on SSR2. Complementary gain and loss of function data showed the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) to ER stress as an inducer of SSR2 via transcriptional regulation through X-Box Binding Protein 1s (XBP1s) and support an ER stress-UPR-Transcription Factor XBP1s-SSR2 response axis in human melanocytic cells. Together with its dispensability for survival in normal human cells, these data propose SSR2 as a potential therapeutic target in (therapy-resistant) human melanoma.

634 MicroRNA-7 reverses the resistance to BRAF inhibitor in melanoma by targeting EGFR/IGF-1R/CRAF and inhibiting the MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways

Recent breakthroughs in targeted therapies and immunotherapies have shaped the landscape of the therapeutic strategies for patients with advanced melanoma. High initial response rate and clear impact on overall survival obtained from targeted therapies (e.g., BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib and dabrafenib) are unfortunately shadowed by high rate of drug resistance. Although microRNAs (miRNAs) are attractive therapeutic targets for various therapy-resistant tumors, the association between miRNA and BRAF inhibitor resistant melanoma remains to be elucidated. Here, we used microarray analysis to comprehensively study the miRNA expression profiling of vemurafenib resistant A375 melanoma cells (VemR A375) in relation to parental A375 melanoma cells. MicroRNA-7 (miR-7) was identified to be the most significantly down-regulated miRNA in VemR A375 melanoma cells and reestablishment of miR-7 expression could reverse the resistance to vemurafenib. In addition, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and CRAF have been found to be over-expressed in VemR A375 melanoma cells. Introduction of miR-7 mimics could markedly down-regulate the expressions of EGFR, IGF-1R and CRAF and further suppressed the activation of MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathway in VemR A375 melanoma cells. Furthermore, tumor growth was significantly inhibited in an in vivo murine VemR A375 melanoma tumor model transfected with miR-7 mimics. Altogether, our study provides a comprehensive validation that miR-7 reverses VemR melanoma cells to BRAF inhibitors via suppressing the over-expression of EGFR, IGF-1R and CRAF and further inhibiting the hyper-activation of the MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. Thus, our findings suggest that miR-7 could be a potential therapeutic target for patients with BRAF inhibitor resistant melanoma.

Implication of Unfolded Protein Response and Autophagy in the Treatment of BRAF Inhibitor Resistant Melanoma.

The continuous activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade, typified by the BRAFV600E mutation, is one of the key alterations in melanoma. Accordingly, two BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi), vemurafenib and dabrafenib are utilized to treat melanoma and resulted in an excellent clinical outcome. However, the clinical success is not long-lasting, and the BRAFi resistance and disease progression inevitably occurs in nearly all patients. Endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced unfolded protein response and autophagy have emerged as potential pro-survival mechanisms adopted by melanoma cells in response to BRAFi. In this review, we discuss the role of unfolded protein response and autophagy that are implicated in the development of BRAFi-resistant melanoma and the corresponding strategy aiming at overcoming the intractable clinical problem.

BRAF inhibitor resistance enhances vulnerability to arginine deprivation in melanoma.

BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) has been used for treatment of melanomas harboring V600E mutation. Despite a high initial response rate, resistance to BRAFi is inevitable. Here, we demonstrate that BRAFi-resistant (BR) melanomas are susceptible to arginine deprivation due to inability to initiate re-expression of argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS1, a key enzyme for arginine synthesis) as well as ineffective autophagy. Autophagy and ASS1 re-expression are known to protect melanoma cells from cell death upon arginine deprivation. When melanoma cells become BR cells by long-term in vitro incubation with BRAFi, c-Myc-mediated ASS1 re-expression and the levels of autophagy-associated proteins (AMPK-α1 and Atg5) are attenuated. Furthermore, our study uncovers that downregulation of deubiquitinase USP28 which results in more active c-Myc degradation via ubiquitin-proteasome machinery is the primary mechanism for inability to re-express ASS1 upon arginine deprivation in BR cells. Overexpression of USP28 in BR cells enhances c-Myc expression and hence increases ASS1 transcription upon arginine deprivation, and consequently leads to cell survival. On the other hand, overexpression of Atg5 or AMPK-α1 in BR cells can redirect arginine deprivation-induced apoptosis toward autophagy. The xenograft models also confirm that BR tumors possess lower expression of ASS1 and are hypersensitive to arginine deprivation. These biochemical changes in BRAFi resistance which make them vulnerable to arginine deprivation can be exploited for the future treatment of BR melanoma patients.

SBI-0640756 Attenuates the Growth of Clinically Unresponsive Melanomas by Disrupting the eIF4F Translation Initiation Complex.

Disrupting the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4F (eIF4F) complex offers an appealing strategy to potentiate the effectiveness of existing cancer therapies and to overcome resistance to drugs such as BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi). Here, we identified and characterized the small molecule SBI-0640756 (SBI-756), a first-in-class inhibitor that targets eIF4G1 and disrupts the eIF4F complex. SBI-756 impaired the eIF4F complex assembly independently of mTOR and attenuated growth of BRAF-resistant and BRAF-independent melanomas. SBI-756 also suppressed AKT and NF-κB signaling, but small-molecule derivatives were identified that only marginally affected these pathways while still inhibiting eIF4F complex formation and melanoma growth, illustrating the potential for further structural and functional manipulation of SBI-756 as a drug lead. In the gene expression signature patterns elicited by SBI-756, DNA damage, and cell-cycle regulatory factors were prominent, with mutations in melanoma cells affecting these pathways conferring drug resistance. SBI-756 inhibited the growth of NRAS, BRAF, and NF1-mutant melanomas in vitro and delayed the onset and reduced the incidence of Nras/Ink4a melanomas in vivo. Furthermore, combining SBI-756 and a BRAFi attenuated the formation of BRAFi-resistant human tumors. Taken together, our findings show how SBI-756 abrogates the growth of BRAF-independent and BRAFi-resistant melanomas, offering a preclinical rationale to evaluate its antitumor effects in other cancers.