Evidence for efficient phosphorylation of EGFR and rapid endocytosis of phosphorylated EGFR via the early/late endocytic pathway in a gefitinib-sensitive non-small cell lung cancer cell line
TL;DR: Novel evidence is provided that extensive impairment in pEGFR endocytosis via the early endocytic pathway might confer gefitinib-resistance in NSCLC cell lines, and an aberration in some steps of EGF-EGFR trafficking from the early endsomes to late endosomes/lysosomes occurs in QG56 cells.
Abstract: Gefitinib (Iressa)–a specific inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase–has been shown to suppress the activation of EGFR signaling required for cell survival and proliferation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. We recently provided novel evidence that gefitinib-sensitive PC9 cells show normal endocytosis of EGFR: internalized EGF-EGFR complexes were transported to late endosomes/lysosomes 15 min after EGF stimulation, and then degraded within the lysosomes. However, gefitinib-resistant QG56 cells showed internalized EGFR accumulation in early endosomes after 60 min of internalization, instead of its trafficking to lysosomes, indicating an aberration in some steps of EGF-EGFR trafficking from the early endosomes to late endosomes/lysosomes. Therefore, we postulate that impairment in some steps of EGF-EGFR trafficking from early endosomes to late endosomes/lysosomes might confer gefitinib-resistance in NSCLC cell lines. To further substantiate the detailed internalization mechanism of gefitinib-sensitive and gefitinib-resistant cells, using confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, we examined the endocytic trafficking of phosphorylated EGFR (pEGFR) in the absence or presence of gefitinib. In PC9 and QG56 cells without EGF stimulation, a large number of pEGFR-positive small vesicular structures not colocalized with late endosomes/lysosomes were spread throughout the cytoplasm, and some pEGFR staining was distributed in the nucleus. This implies a novel intracellular trafficking pathway for pEGFR from cytoplasmic vesicles to the nucleus. Furthermore, an aggregated vesicular structure of early endosomes was observed in the perinuclear region of QG56 cells; it was revealed to be associated with SNX1, originally identified as a protein that interacts with EGFR. Therefore, we confirmed our previous data that an aberration in some steps of EGF-EGFR trafficking from the early endosomes to late endosomes/lysosomes occurs in QG56 cells. Furthermore, in PC9 cells, efficient phosphorylation of EGFR and rapid internalization of pEGFR was observed at 3 min after EGF stimulation; these internalized pEGFR-positive vesicles were trafficked to late endosomes at 15 min, indicating rapid trafficking of EGF-pEGFR complexes from early to late endosomes in PC9 cells. Gefitinib treatment strongly reduced the phosphorylation level of EGFR, and subsequent endocytosis of EGFR was significantly suppressed in PC9 cells. In contrast, in QG56 cells, EGFR trafficking via the early endocytic pathway was basically impaired; therefore, gefitinib appeared to slightly suppress the internalization of pEGFR. Collectively, our data provide novel evidence that extensive impairment in pEGFR endocytosis via the early endocytic pathway might confer gefitinib-resistance in QG56 cells.
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TL;DR: NDRG1 promotes EGFR down-regulation through the EGFR inhibitor MIG6, which leads to late endosomal/lysosomal processing of EGFR, and results suggest a role for PTEN in regulating MIG 6 expression.
29 citations
Cites background or result from "Evidence for efficient phosphorylat..."
...After being sorted to the endosome, EGFR can be transported to the lysosome for degradation (51)....
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...Considering the lysosomal process that down-regulates EGFR (50, 51), the results above in Fig....
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TL;DR: The significance of endocytic vesicles, late endosomes and the nucleus in RTK signal propagation is elucidated, and extracellular ligand concentration is identified as the most sensitive parameter to change; hence the most significant one to modify when regulating absolute compartment signaling.
Abstract: Recently, intracellular receptor signaling has been identified as a key component mediating cell responses for various receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). However, the extent each endocytic compartment (endocytic vesicle, early endosome, recycling endosome, late endosome, lysosome and nucleus) contributes to receptor signaling has not been quantified. Furthermore, our understanding of endocytosis and receptor signaling is complicated by cell- or receptor-specific endocytosis mechanisms. Therefore, towards understanding the differential endocytic compartment signaling roles, and identifying how to achieve signal transduction control for RTKs, we delineate how endocytosis regulates RTK signaling. We achieve this via a meta-analysis across eight RTKs, integrating computational modeling with experimentally derived cell (compartment volume, trafficking kinetics and pH) and ligand-receptor (ligand/receptor concentration and interaction kinetics) physiology. Our simulations predict the abundance of signaling from eight RTKs, identifying the following hierarchy in RTK signaling: PDGFRβ > IGFR1 > EGFR > PDGFRα > VEGFR1 > VEGFR2 > Tie2 > FGFR1. We find that endocytic vesicles are the primary cell signaling compartment; over 43% of total receptor signaling occurs within the endocytic vesicle compartment for these eight RTKs. Mechanistically, we found that high RTK signaling within endocytic vesicles may be attributed to their low volume (5.3 × 10-19 L) which facilitates an enriched ligand concentration (3.2 μM per ligand molecule within the endocytic vesicle). Under the analyzed physiological conditions, we identified extracellular ligand concentration as the most sensitive parameter to change; hence the most significant one to modify when regulating absolute compartment signaling. We also found that the late endosome and nucleus compartments are important contributors to receptor signaling, where 26% and 18%, respectively, of average receptor signaling occurs across the eight RTKs. Conversely, we found very low membrane-based receptor signaling, exhibiting <1% of the total receptor signaling for these eight RTKs. Moreover, we found that nuclear translocation, mechanistically, requires late endosomal transport; when we blocked receptor trafficking from late endosomes to the nucleus we found a 57% reduction in nuclear translocation. In summary, our research has elucidated the significance of endocytic vesicles, late endosomes and the nucleus in RTK signal propagation.
26 citations
TL;DR: Substantial differences between EGFR-TKI-insensitive and -sensitive cancer cells in EGFR and E-cad expression and localization both at the basal level and in response to EGF and erlotinib are demonstrated.
Abstract: Nanoparticle quantum dots (QDs) provide sharper and more photostable fluorescent signals than organic dyes, allowing quantification of multiple biomarkers simultaneously. In this study, we quantified the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and E-cadherin (E-cad) in the same cells simultaneously by using secondary antibody-conjugated QDs with two different emission wavelengths (QD605 and QD565) and compared the cellular distribution of EGFR and E-cad between EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-insensitive and -sensitive lung and head and neck cancer cell lines. Relocalization of EGFR and E-cad upon treatment with the EGFR-TKI erlotinib in the presence of EGF was visualized and analyzed quantitatively. Our results showed that QD-immunocytochemistry (ICC)-based technology can not only quantify basal levels of multiple biomarkers but also track the localization of the biomarkers upon biostimulation. With this new technology we found that in EGFR-TKI-insensitive cells, EGFR and E-cad were located mainly in the cytoplasm; while in sensitive cells, they were found mainly on the cell membrane. After induction with EGF, both EGFR and E-cad internalized to the cytoplasm, but the internalization capability in sensitive cells was greater than that in insensitive cells. Quantification also showed that inhibition of EGF-induced EGFR and E-cad internalization by erlotinib in the sensitive cells was stronger than that in the insensitive cells. These studies demonstrate substantial differences between EGFR-TKI-insensitive and -sensitive cancer cells in EGFR and E-cad expression and localization both at the basal level and in response to EGF and erlotinib. QD-based analysis facilitates the understanding of the features of EGFR-TKI-insensitive versus -sensitive cancer cells and may be used in the prediction of patient response to EGFR-targeted therapy.
26 citations
TL;DR: The pathophysiologic and therapeutic overlap between tuberous sclerosis complex and von Hippel–Lindau disease is summarized and the results of recent drug trials in these settings are highlighted.
Abstract: Tuberous sclerosis complex and von Hippel–Lindau disease are distinct autosomal dominant tumor suppressor syndromes that are characterized by solid and cystic renal lesions. The products of the affected genes are linked in an intricate pathway that regulates cell growth, proliferation, and vascular supply. This Review examines the phenotypic overlap between the diseases in the context of their pathophysiologic similarities, outlines the optimal management of both conditions, and highlights promising future pharmacologic interventions. Tuberous sclerosis complex and von Hippel–Lindau disease are distinct autosomal dominant tumor suppressor syndromes that can exhibit similar renal phenotypes and seem to share some signaling pathway components. Similarities exist in the current clinical management of, and the newly identified potential therapeutic approaches for, these conditions. This Review summarizes the pathophysiologic and therapeutic overlap between tuberous sclerosis complex and von Hippel–Lindau disease and highlights the results of recent drug trials in these settings.
22 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that SNX1 is involved in the negative regulation of ligand-induced EGFR phosphorylation and mediates EGFR/pEGFR trafficking out of early endosomes for targeting to late endosome/lysosomes via the early/late endocytic pathway in human lung cancer cells.
Abstract: Gefitinib is known to suppress the activation of EGFR signaling, which is required for cell survival and proliferation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. We previously demonstrated that the gefitinib-sensitive NSCLC cell line PC9 shows efficient ligand-induced endocytosis of phosphorylated EGFR (pEGFR). In contrast, the gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cell lines QG56 and A549 showed internalized pEGFR accumulation in the aggregated early endosomes, and this was associated with SNX1, a protein that interacts with and enhances the degradation of EGFR upon EGF stimulation. In the present study, to investigate the role of SNX1 on EGF-stimulated EGFR/pEGFR endocytosis via the endocytic pathway, we examined the effect of depletion of SNX1 expression by siRNA in human NSCLC cell lines. Using immunofluorescence, we demonstrated that transfection of SNX1 siRNA into gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells resulted in the disappearance of a large amounts of SNX1 staining. In addition, upon 15 min of EGF stimulation, we observed an efficient EGFR phosphorylation and a rapid endocytic delivery of pEGFR from early endosomes to late endosomes. Further, western blot analysis revealed that silencing of SNX1 expression by siRNA in the gefitinib-resistant cells leads to an accelerated degradation of EGFR along with a dramatic increase in the amounts of pEGFR after EGF stimulation. Based on these findings, we suggest that SNX1 is involved in the negative regulation of ligand-induced EGFR phosphorylation and mediates EGFR/pEGFR trafficking out of early endosomes for targeting to late endosomes/lysosomes via the early/late endocytic pathway in human lung cancer cells.
20 citations
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TL;DR: A subgroup of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer have specific mutations in the EGFR gene which correlate with clinical responsiveness to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib, and these mutations lead to increased growth factor signaling and confer susceptibility to the inhibitor.
Abstract: BACKGROUND Most patients with non-small-cell lung cancer have no response to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib, which targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). However, about 10 percent of patients have a rapid and often dramatic clinical response. The molecular mechanisms underlying sensitivity to gefitinib are unknown. METHODS We searched for mutations in the EGFR gene in primary tumors from patients with non-small-cell lung cancer who had a response to gefitinib, those who did not have a response, and those who had not been exposed to gefitinib. The functional consequences of identified mutations were evaluated after the mutant proteins were expressed in cultured cells. RESULTS Somatic mutations were identified in the tyrosine kinase domain of the EGFR gene in eight of nine patients with gefitinib-responsive lung cancer, as compared with none of the seven patients with no response (P<0.001). Mutations were either small, in-frame deletions or amino acid substitutions clustered around the ATP-binding pocket of the tyrosine kinase domain. Similar mutations were detected in tumors from 2 of 25 patients with primary non-small-cell lung cancer who had not been exposed to gefitinib (8 percent). All mutations were heterozygous, and identical mutations were observed in multiple patients, suggesting an additive specific gain of function. In vitro, EGFR mutants demonstrated enhanced tyrosine kinase activity in response to epidermal growth factor and increased sensitivity to inhibition by gefitinib. CONCLUSIONS A subgroup of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer have specific mutations in the EGFR gene, which correlate with clinical responsiveness to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib. These mutations lead to increased growth factor signaling and confer susceptibility to the inhibitor. Screening for such mutations in lung cancers may identify patients who will have a response to gefitinib.
10,879 citations
"Evidence for efficient phosphorylat..." refers background in this paper
...It has been previously reported that gefitinib-sensitive lung tumors were found to express EGFR variants with a higher sensitivity for the drug than the wild-type receptor [29,30]....
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TL;DR: Results suggest that EGFR mutations may predict sensitivity to gefitinib, and treatment with the EGFR kinase inhibitor gefitsinib causes tumor regression in some patients with NSCLC, more frequently in Japan.
Abstract: Receptor tyrosine kinase genes were sequenced in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and matched normal tissue. Somatic mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene EGFR were found in 15 of 58 unselected tumors from Japan and 1 of 61 from the United States. Treatment with the EGFR kinase inhibitor gefitinib (Iressa) causes tumor regression in some patients with NSCLC, more frequently in Japan. EGFR mutations were found in additional lung cancer samples from U.S. patients who responded to gefitinib therapy and in a lung adenocarcinoma cell line that was hypersensitive to growth inhibition by gefitinib, but not in gefitinibinsensitive tumors or cell lines. These results suggest that EGFR mutations may predict sensitivity to gefitinib. Protein kinase activation by somatic mutation or
9,265 citations
TL;DR: Cet article synthese montre comment des recepteurs membranaires a activite tyrosine kinase peuvent etre impliques dans la transduction and notamment jouent le role de signal de the transduction.
5,536 citations
"Evidence for efficient phosphorylat..." refers background in this paper
...These events lead to the recruitment and phosphorylation of several intracellular substrates and the subsequent transmission of extracellular signals to the nucleus via an intracellular signaling network [4,5]....
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TL;DR: Analysis of the multiple processes that modulate EGFR signal transduction has revealed new therapeutic opportunities and elucidated mechanisms contributing to the efficacy of existing anticancer treatments.
1,627 citations
"Evidence for efficient phosphorylat..." refers background in this paper
...Following ligand binding, the EGFR is dimerized and the intracellular tyrosine kinase region is activated, causing receptor tyrosine autophosphorylation and transphosphorylation of another receptor monomer [4]....
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...These events lead to the recruitment and phosphorylation of several intracellular substrates and the subsequent transmission of extracellular signals to the nucleus via an intracellular signaling network [4,5]....
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TL;DR: Article de synthese sur les lysosomes: biogenese, definition, role biologique, Les enzymes lysOSomales sont decrites ainsi that leur role dans l'exo et l'endocytose.
Abstract: Article de synthese sur les lysosomes: biogenese, definition, role biologique. Les enzymes lysosomales sont decrites ainsi que leur role dans l'exo et l'endocytose. La structure et le biogenese de la membrane lysosomale sont etudiees
1,559 citations
"Evidence for efficient phosphorylat..." refers background in this paper
...These proteins are distributed within endocytic organelles and are at the highest concentration in the late endosomes/lysosomes, as observed for other lysosomal glycoproteins, namely, lysosomal associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP-1) and LAMP-2 [14-17]....
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