Showing papers by "Bin Fang published in 2019"

An immunoproteomic approach to characterize the CAR interactome and signalosome.

Abstract: Adoptive transfer of T cells that express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) is an approved immunotherapy that may be curative for some hematological cancers. To better understand the therapeutic mechanism of action, we systematically analyzed CAR signaling in human primary T cells by mass spectrometry. When we compared the interactomes and the signaling pathways activated by distinct CAR-T cells that shared the same antigen-binding domain but differed in their intracellular domains and their in vivo antitumor efficacy, we found that only second-generation CARs induced the expression of a constitutively phosphorylated form of CD3ζ that resembled the endogenous species. This phenomenon was independent of the choice of costimulatory domains, or the hinge/transmembrane region. Rather, it was dependent on the size of the intracellular domains. Moreover, the second-generation design was also associated with stronger phosphorylation of downstream secondary messengers, as evidenced by global phosphoproteome analysis. These results suggest that second-generation CARs can activate additional sources of CD3ζ signaling, and this may contribute to more intense signaling and superior antitumor efficacy that they display compared to third-generation CARs. Moreover, our results provide a deeper understanding of how CARs interact physically and/or functionally with endogenous T cell molecules, which will inform the development of novel optimized immune receptors.

Proteogenomic landscape of squamous cell lung cancer.

Abstract: How genomic and transcriptomic alterations affect the functional proteome in lung cancer is not fully understood. Here, we integrate DNA copy number, somatic mutations, RNA-sequencing, and expression proteomics in a cohort of 108 squamous cell lung cancer (SCC) patients. We identify three proteomic subtypes, two of which (Inflamed, Redox) comprise 87% of tumors. The Inflamed subtype is enriched with neutrophils, B-cells, and monocytes and expresses more PD-1. Redox tumours are enriched for oxidation-reduction and glutathione pathways and harbor more NFE2L2/KEAP1 alterations and copy gain in the 3q2 locus. Proteomic subtypes are not associated with patient survival. However, B-cell-rich tertiary lymph node structures, more common in Inflamed, are associated with better survival. We identify metabolic vulnerabilities (TP63, PSAT1, and TFRC) in Redox. Our work provides a powerful resource for lung SCC biology and suggests therapeutic opportunities based on redox metabolism and immune cell infiltrates. Squamous cell lung cancer has dismal prognosis due to the dearth of effective treatments. Here, the authors perform an integrated proteogenomic analysis of the disease, revealing three proteomics-based subtypes and suggesting potential therapeutic opportunities.

HDAC Inhibition Enhances the In Vivo Efficacy of MEK Inhibitor Therapy in Uveal Melanoma

Abstract: Purpose: The clinical use of MEK inhibitors in uveal melanoma is limited by the rapid acquisition of resistance. The current study has used multi-omics approaches and drug screens to identify the pan-HDAC inhibitor panobinostat as an effective strategy to limit MEK inhibitor resistance. Experimental Design: Mass spectrometry-based proteomics and RNA-Seq was used to identify the signaling pathways involved in the escape of uveal melanoma cells from MEK inhibitor therapy. Mechanistic studies were performed to evaluate the escape pathways identified and the efficacy of the MEK-HDAC inhibitor combination was demonstrated in multiple in vivo models of uveal melanoma. Results: We identified a number of putative escape pathways that were upregulated following MEK inhibition including the PI3K/AKT pathway, ROR1/2 and IGF-1R signaling. MEK inhibition was also associated with increased GPCR expression, particularly the Endothelin B receptor and this contributed to therapeutic escape through ET-3-mediated YAP signaling. A screen of 289 clinical grade compounds identified HDAC inhibitors as potential candidates that suppressed the adaptive YAP and AKT signaling that followed MEK inhibition. In vivo, the MEK-HDAC inhibitor combination outperformed either agent alone, leading to a long-term decrease of tumor growth in both subcutaneous and liver metastasis models and the suppression of adaptive PI3K/AKT and YAP signaling. Conclusions: Together our studies have identified GPCR-mediated YAP activation and RTK-driven AKT signaling as key pathways involved in the escape of uveal melanoma cells from MEK inhibition. We further demonstrate that HDAC inhibition is a promising combination partner for MEK inhibitors in advanced uveal melanoma.

K27-linked ubiquitination of BRAF by ITCH engages cytokine response to maintain MEK-ERK signaling.

Abstract: BRAF plays an indispensable role in activating the MEK/ERK pathway to drive tumorigenesis. Receptor tyrosine kinase and RAS-mediated BRAF activation have been extensively characterized, however, it remains undefined how BRAF function is fine-tuned by stimuli other than growth factors. Here, we report that in response to proinflammatory cytokines, BRAF is subjected to lysine 27-linked poly-ubiquitination in melanoma cells by the ITCH ubiquitin E3 ligase. Lysine 27-linked ubiquitination of BRAF recruits PP2A to antagonize the S365 phosphorylation and disrupts the inhibitory interaction with 14–3–3, leading to sustained BRAF activation and subsequent elevation of the MEK/ERK signaling. Physiologically, proinflammatory cytokines activate ITCH to maintain BRAF activity and to promote proliferation and invasion of melanoma cells, whereas the ubiquitination-deficient BRAF mutant displays compromised kinase activity and reduced tumorigenicity. Collectively, our study reveals a pivotal role for ITCH-mediated BRAF ubiquitination in coordinating the signals between cytokines and the MAPK pathway activation in melanoma cells. BRAF drives MEK/ERK activation to facilitate tumorigenesis. Here, the authors show that in response to pro-inflammatory cytokines, ITCH mediates a non-proteolytic ubiquitination and activation of BRAF, which in turn sustains MEK/ERK signaling to facilitate melanoma cell growth.

PTPN11 Plays Oncogenic Roles and Is a Therapeutic Target for BRAF Wild-Type Melanomas

Abstract: Melanoma is one of the most highly mutated cancer types. To identify functional drivers of melanoma, we searched for cross-species conserved mutations utilizing a mouse melanoma model driven by loss of PTEN and CDKN2A, and identified mutations in Kras, Erbb3, and Ptpn11. PTPN11 encodes the SHP2 protein tyrosine phosphatase that activates the RAS/RAF/MAPK pathway. Although PTPN11 is an oncogene in leukemia, lung, and breast cancers, its roles in melanoma are not clear. In this study, we found that PTPN11 is frequently activated in human melanoma specimens and cell lines and is required for full RAS/RAF/MAPK signaling activation in BRAF wild-type (either NRAS mutant or wild-type) melanoma cells. PTPN11 played oncogenic roles in melanoma by driving anchorage-independent colony formation and tumor growth. In Pten- and Cdkn2a-null mice, tet-inducible and melanocyte-specific PTPN11E76K expression significantly enhanced melanoma tumorigenesis. Melanoma cells derived from this mouse model showed doxycycline-dependent tumor growth in nude mice. Silencing PTPN11E76K expression by doxycycline withdrawal caused regression of established tumors by induction of apoptosis and senescence, and suppression of proliferation. Moreover, the PTPN11 inhibitor (SHP099) also caused regression of NRASQ61K -mutant melanoma. Using a quantitative tyrosine phosphoproteomics approach, we identified GSK3α/β as one of the key substrates that were differentially tyrosine-phosphorylated in these experiments modulating PTPN11. This study demonstrates that PTPN11 plays oncogenic roles in melanoma and regulates RAS and GSK3β signaling pathways. IMPLICATIONS: This study identifies PTPN11 as an oncogenic driver and a novel and actionable therapeutic target for BRAF wild-type melanoma.

The mitochondrial deoxyguanosine kinase is required for cancer cell stemness in lung adenocarcinoma.

Abstract: The mitochondrial deoxynucleotide triphosphate (dNTP) is maintained by the mitochondrial deoxynucleoside salvage pathway and dedicated for the mtDNA homeostasis, and the mitochondrial deoxyguanosine kinase (DGUOK) is a rate-limiting enzyme in this pathway. Here, we investigated the role of the DGUOK in the self-renewal of lung cancer stem-like cells (CSC). Our data support that DGUOK overexpression strongly correlates with cancer progression and patient survival. The depletion of DGUOK robustly inhibited lung adenocarcinoma tumor growth, metastasis, and CSC self-renewal. Mechanistically, DGUOK is required for the biogenesis of respiratory complex I and mitochondrial OXPHOS, which in turn regulates CSC self-renewal through AMPK-YAP1 signaling. The restoration of mitochondrial OXPHOS in DGUOK KO lung cancer cells using NDI1 was able to prevent AMPK-mediated phosphorylation of YAP and to rescue CSC stemness. Genetic targeting of DGUOK using doxycycline-inducible CRISPR/Cas9 was able to markedly induce tumor regression. Our findings reveal a novel role for mitochondrial dNTP metabolism in lung cancer tumor growth and progression, and implicate that the mitochondrial deoxynucleotide salvage pathway could be potentially targeted to prevent CSC-mediated therapy resistance and metastatic recurrence.

Collagen Production and Niche Engineering: A Novel Strategy for Cancer Cells to Survive Acidosis and Evolve

Abstract: Summary Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is an avascular disease characterized by profound acidosis. Pre-malignant cells within this niche must adapt to acidosis to survive and thrive. A component of this acid-adaptation involves extracellular matrix remodeling leading to niche construction and remodeling. Using discovery proteomics, we identified that collagen producing enzyme PLODs are upregulated in acid-adapted breast cancer cells. Second harmonic generation microscopy showed significant collagen deposition within DCIS lesions of patients. In vitro analyses identified that acid-adaptation involves production of rare collagens that can be regulated by Ras and SMAD pathway. Secretome analysis showed upregulation ECM remodeling enzymes such as TGM2 and LOXL2. Comparison of acid induced collagens in vitro and in patient data showed correlation between rare collagens production and survival of patients. We conclude acidosis induces collagen production by cancer cells and promote growth independent of basal membrane attachment. The independently produced collagen can be used for niche construction and engineering as an adaptation strategy of cancer cells to survive and evolve.

Proteometabolomics of Melphalan Resistance in Multiple Myeloma.

Abstract: Drug resistance remains a critical problem for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), which can serve as a specific example for a highly prevalent unmet medical need across almost all cancer types. In MM, the therapeutic arsenal has expanded and diversified, yet we still lack in-depth molecular understanding of drug mechanisms of action and cellular pathways to therapeutic escape. For those reasons, preclinical models of drug resistance are developed and characterized using different approaches to gain insights into tumor biology and elucidate mechanisms of drug resistance. For MM, numerous drugs are used for treatment, including conventional chemotherapies (e.g., melphalan or L-phenylalanine nitrogen mustard), proteasome inhibitors (e.g., Bortezomib), and immunomodulators (e.g., Lenalidomide). These agents have diverse effects on the myeloma cells, and several mechanisms of drug resistance have been previously described. The disparity of these mechanisms and the complexity of these biological processes lead to the formation of complicated hypotheses that require omics approaches for efficient and effective analysis of model systems that can then be interpreted for patient benefit. Here, we describe the combination of metabolomics and proteomics to assess melphalan resistance in MM by examining three specific areas: drug metabolism, modulation of endogenous metabolites to assist in therapeutic escape, and changes in protein activity gauged by ATP probe uptake.

Abstract B021: PARP16 is a novel target of talazoparib which contributes to synergy with adavosertib in SCLC

Abstract: Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive type of neuroendocrine tumor with a low survival rate, signifying an unmet medical need. Although PARP inhibitors (PARPis) display single-agent anticancer activity in SCLC, the underlying biology is poorly understood. In the present study, we determined the differential efficacy of multiple clinically relevant PARPis and identified a novel non-canonical and actionable PARPi target in SCLC. Methods: A panel of SCLC cell lines was analyzed for sensitivity to PARPis using the Cell Titer Glow (CTG) viability assay. Chemical proteomics and western blotting were performed to investigate the targets of PARPis. The effect of PARP16 on cell viability was analyzed using RNA interference. Drug combination screening for inhibition of viability was performed, network-wide signaling changes were determined using phosphoproteomics, and efficacy of drug combinations was determined in ex vivo PDX clonogenic assays. Results: Compared to other clinically relevant PARPis (rucaparib, olaparib, niraparib) talazoparib displayed the highest potency across a panel of SCLC cell lines, including cells negative for SLFN11, which has been suggested to indicate PARPi sensitivity. Subsequent chemical proteomics with SLFN11-negative SCLC cells identified the non-canonical PARP family member PARP16 as a unique talazoparib target, along with the eminent PARP1. Transient knockdown of PARP16 significantly reduced cell survival in certain SCLC cell lines, particularly in combination with olaparib. Furthermore, drug combination screens revealed synergistic activity of talazoparib when combined with the WEE1 inhibitor adavosertib in SCLC cells, which was more pronounced than the combination of adavosertib with olaparib, which has no activity against PARP16. Silencing of PARP16, in combination with olaparib and adavosertib, with enhanced cell killing, and global phosphoproteomics identified network-wide signaling crosstalk inhibition by the talazoparib/adavosertib drug combination. Conclusion: Our data suggest that in addition to the well-studied PARP1 targeting mechanism, PARP16, a non-canonical member of the PARP family, is likely involved in talazoparib’s overall mechanism of action and may constitute a novel actionable target in SCLC. Citation Format: Vinayak Palve, Clare Knezevic, Yunting Luo, Xueli Li, Slivia Novakova, Eric Welsh, Bin Fang, Fumi Kinose, Eric B Haura, Alvaro N Monteiro, John M Koomen, Harshani R Lawrence, Uwe Rix. PARP16 is a novel target of talazoparib which contributes to synergy with adavosertib in SCLC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2019 Oct 26-30; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2019;18(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B021. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.TARG-19-B021