The Receptor Tyrosine Kinase AXL Is Required at Multiple Steps of the Metastatic Cascade during HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Progression

Ultrasensitive determination of receptor tyrosine kinase with a label-free electrochemical immunosensor using graphene quantum dots-modified screen-printed electrodes

The role of pyruvate kinase M2 isoform (PKM2) in tumor progression has been controversial. Previous studies showed that PKM2 promoted tumor growth in xenograft models; however, depletion of PKM2 in the Brca1-loss-driven mammary tumor mouse model accelerates tumor formation. Since oncogenic kinases are frequently activated in tumors and PKM2 phosphorylation promotes tumor growth, we hypothesized that phosphorylation of PKM2 by activated kinases in tumor cells confers PKM2 oncogenic function, whereas non-phosphorylated PKM2 is non-oncogenic. Indeed, PKM2 was phosphorylated at tyrosine 105 (Y105) and formed oncogenic dimers in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, whereas PKM2 was largely unphosphorylated and formed non-tumorigenic tetramers in non-transformed MCF10A cells. PKM2 knockdown did not affect MCF10A cell growth but significantly decreased proliferation of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells with tyrosine kinase activation. Multiple kinases that are frequently activated in different cancer types were identified to phosphorylate PKM2-Y105 in our tyrosine kinase screening. Introduction of the PKM2-Y105D phospho-mimetic mutant into MCF10A cells induced colony formation and the CD44hi/CD24neg cancer stem-like cell population by increasing YAP protein nuclear localization. ErbB2, a strong inducer of PKM2-Y105 phosphorylation, boosted nuclear localization of YAP and enhanced the cancer stem-like cell population. Treatment with the ErbB2 kinase inhibitor lapatinib decreased PKM2-Y105 phosphorylation and cancer stem-like cells, impeding PKM2 tumor-promoting function. Taken together, phosphorylation of PKM2-Y105 by activated kinases exerts oncogenic functions in part via activation of YAP downstream signaling to increase cancer stem-like cell properties.

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Oncogenic Kinase-Induced PKM2 Tyrosine 105 Phosphorylation Converts Nononcogenic PKM2 to a Tumor Promoter and Induces Cancer Stem-like Cells.

Introduction: Breast cancer subtypes are currently defined by a combination of morphologic, genomic, and proteomic characteristics. These subtypes provide a molecular portrait of the tumor that aid...

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Protein biomarkers for subtyping breast cancer and implications for future research.

Altered genetic features in cancer cells lead to a high rate of aerobic glycolysis and metabolic reprogramming that is essential for increased cancer cell viability and rapid proliferation. Pyruvate kinase muscle (PKM) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the final step of glycolysis. Herein, we report that PKM is a potential therapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. We found that PKM1 or PKM2 is highly expressed in TNBC tissues or cells. Knockdown of PKM significantly suppressed cell proliferation and migration, and strongly reduced S phase and induced G2 phase cell cycle arrest by reducing phosphorylation of the CDC2 protein in TNBC cells. Additionally, knockdown of PKM significantly suppressed NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) activity by reducing the phosphorylation of p65 at serine 536, and also decreased the expression of NF-kB target genes. Taken together, PKM is a potential target that may have therapeutic implications for TNBC cells.

Knockdown of Pyruvate Kinase M Inhibits Cell Growth and Migration by Reducing NF-kB Activity in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide. About 15-20% of all breast cancers are triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and are often highly aggressive when compared to other subtypes of breast cancers. To better characterize the biology that underlies the TNBC phenotype, we profiled the phosphotyrosine proteome of a panel of twenty-six TNBC cell lines using quantitative high resolution Fourier transform mass spectrometry. A heterogeneous pattern of tyrosine kinase activation was observed based on 1,789 tyrosine-phosphorylated peptides identified from 969 proteins. One of the tyrosine kinases, AXL, was found to be activated in a majority of aggressive TNBC cell lines and was accompanied by a higher level of AXL expression. High levels of AXL expression are correlated with a significant decrease in patient survival. Treatment of cells bearing activated AXL with a humanized AXL antibody inhibited cell proliferation and migration in vitro, and tumor growth in mice. Overall, our global phosphoproteomic analysis provided new insights into the heterogeneity in the activation status of tyrosine kinase pathways in TNBCs. Our approach presents an effective means of identifying important novel biomarkers and targets for therapy such as AXL in TNBC.

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Min Ling

Papers

Global phosphotyrosine survey in triple-negative breast cancer reveals activation of multiple tyrosine kinase signaling pathways