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Half of advanced human melanomas are driven by mutant BRAF and dependent on MAPK signaling. Interestingly, the results of three independent genetic screens highlight a dependency of BRAF-mutant melanoma cell lines on BRAF and ERK2, but not ERK1. ERK2 is expressed higher in melanoma compared with other cancer types and higher than ERK1 within melanoma. However, ERK1 and ERK2 are similarly required in primary human melanocytes transformed with mutant BRAF and are expressed at a similar, lower amount compared with established cancer cell lines. ERK1 can compensate for ERK2 loss as seen by expression of ERK1 rescuing the proliferation arrest mediated by ERK2 loss (both by shRNA or inhibition by an ERK inhibitor). ERK2 knockdown, as opposed to ERK1 knockdown, led to more robust suppression of MAPK signaling as seen by RNA-sequencing, qRT-PCR, and Western blot analysis. In addition, treatment with MAPK pathway inhibitors led to gene expression changes that closely resembled those seen upon knockdown of ERK2 but not ERK1. Together, these data demonstrate that ERK2 drives BRAF-mutant melanoma gene expression and proliferation as a function of its higher expression compared with ERK1. Selective inhibition of ERK2 for the treatment of melanomas may spare the toxicity associated with pan-ERK inhibition in normal tissues. Implications: BRAF-mutant melanomas overexpress and depend on ERK2 but not ERK1, suggesting that ERK2-selective inhibition may be toxicity sparing.

p53 is a transcription factor that plays a central role in guarding the genomic stability of cells through cell-cycle arrest or induction of apoptosis. However, the effects of p53 in antitumor immunity are poorly understood. To investigate the role of p53 in controlling tumor-immune cell cross-talk, we studied murine syngeneic models treated with HDM201, a potent and selective second-generation MDM2 inhibitor. In response to HDM201 treatment, the percentage of dendritic cells increased, including the CD103+ antigen cross-presenting subset. Furthermore, HDM201 increased the percentage of Tbet+Eomes+ CD8+ T cells and the CD8+/Treg ratio within the tumor. These immunophenotypic changes were eliminated with the knockout of p53 in tumor cells. Enhanced expression of CD80 on tumor cells was observed in vitro and in vivo, which coincided with T-cell–mediated tumor cell killing. Combining HDM201 with PD-1 or PD-L1 blockade increased the number of complete tumor regressions. Responding mice developed durable, antigen-specific memory T cells and rejected subsequent tumor implantation. Importantly, antitumor activity of HDM201 in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade was abrogated in p53-mutated and knockout syngeneic tumor models, indicating the effect of HDM201 on the tumor is required for triggering antitumor immunity. Taken together, these results demonstrate that MDM2 inhibition triggers adaptive immunity, which is further enhanced by blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 pathway, thereby providing a rationale for combining MDM2 inhibitors and checkpoint blocking antibodies in patients with wild-type p53 tumors. Significance: This study provides a mechanistic rationale for combining checkpoint blockade immunotherapy with MDM2 inhibitors in patients with wild-type p53 tumors.

Uveal melanoma is a rare and aggressive cancer that originates in the eye. Currently, there are no approved targeted therapies and very few effective treatments for this cancer. Although activating mutations in the G protein alpha subunits, GNAQ and GNA11, are key genetic drivers of the disease, few additional drug targets have been identified. Recently, studies have identified context-specific roles for the mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes (also known as BAF/PBAF) in various cancer lineages. Here, we find evidence that the SWI/SNF complex is essential through analysis of functional genomics screens and further validation in a panel of uveal melanoma cell lines using both genetic tools and small-molecule inhibitors of SWI/SNF. In addition, we describe a functional relationship between the SWI/SNF complex and the melanocyte lineage–specific transcription factor Microphthalmia-associated Transcription Factor, suggesting that these two factors cooperate to drive a transcriptional program essential for uveal melanoma cell survival. These studies highlight a critical role for SWI/SNF in uveal melanoma, and demonstrate a novel path toward the treatment of this cancer.

KRAS, an oncogene mutated in nearly one third of human cancers, remains a pharmacologic challenge for direct inhibition except for recent advances in selective inhibitors targeting the G12C variant. Here, we report that selective inhibition of the protein tyrosine phosphatase, SHP2, can impair the proliferation of KRAS-mutant cancer cells in vitro and in vivo using cell line xenografts and primary human tumors. In vitro, sensitivity of KRAS-mutant cells toward the allosteric SHP2 inhibitor, SHP099, is not apparent when cells are grown on plastic in 2D monolayer, but is revealed when cells are grown as 3D multicellular spheroids. This antitumor activity is also observed in vivo in mouse models. Interrogation of the MAPK pathway in SHP099-treated KRAS-mutant cancer models demonstrated similar modulation of p-ERK and DUSP6 transcripts in 2D, 3D, and in vivo, suggesting a MAPK pathway–dependent mechanism and possible non-MAPK pathway–dependent mechanisms in tumor cells or tumor microenvironment for the in vivo efficacy. For the KRASG12C MIAPaCa-2 model, we demonstrate that the efficacy is cancer cell intrinsic as there is minimal antiangiogenic activity by SHP099, and the effects of SHP099 is recapitulated by genetic depletion of SHP2 in cancer cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that SHP099 efficacy in KRAS-mutant models can be recapitulated with RTK inhibitors, suggesting RTK activity is responsible for the SHP2 activation. Taken together, these data reveal that many KRAS-mutant cancers depend on upstream signaling from RTK and SHP2, and provide a new therapeutic framework for treating KRAS-mutant cancers with SHP2 inhibitors.

The most frequent genetic alterations in melanoma are gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in BRAF, which result in RAF–MEK–ERK signaling pathway addiction. Despite therapeutic success of RAF and MEK inhibitors in treating BRAFV600-mutant tumors, a major challenge is the inevitable emergence of drug resistance, which often involves reactivation of the MAPK pathway. Interestingly, resistant tumors are often sensitive to drug withdrawal, suggesting that hyperactivation of the MAPK pathway is not tolerated. To further characterize this phenomenon, isogenic models of inducible MAPK hyperactivation in BRAFV600E melanoma cells were generated by overexpression of ERK2. Using this model system, supraphysiologic levels of MAPK signaling led to cell death, which was reversed by MAPK inhibition. Furthermore, complete tumor regression was observed in an ERK2-overexpressing xenograft model. To identify mediators of MAPK hyperactivation–induced cell death, a large-scale pooled shRNA screen was conducted, which revealed that only shRNAs against BRAF and MAP2K1 rescued loss of cell viability. This suggested that no single downstream ERK2 effector was required, consistent with pleiotropic effects on multiple cellular stress pathways. Intriguingly, the detrimental effect of MAPK hyperactivation could be partially attributed to secreted factors, and more than 100 differentially secreted proteins were identified. The effect of ERK2 overexpression was highly context dependent, as RAS/RAF mutant but not RAS/RAF wild-type melanoma were sensitive to this perturbation. Implications: This vulnerability to MAPK hyperactivation raises the possibility of novel therapeutic approaches for RAS/RAF-mutant cancers.

A high-resolution map of human phosphorylation networks was constructed by integrating experimentally determined kinase-substrate relationships with other resources, such as in vivo phosphorylation sites., High-quality kinase-substrate relationships (KSRs) were determined using an integrated approach that combines protein microarray technology and bioinformatics analysis. Phosphorylation motifs were predicted for 284 human kinases, representing 55% of the human kinome. A high-resolution map of human phosphorylation networks was constructed that connects 230 kinases to 2591 in vivo phosphorylation sites in 652 substrates. A new role for PKA downstream of Btk (Bruton's tyrosine kinase) during B-cell receptor signaling was discovered based on KSRs identified in the phosphorylation networks., The landscape of human phosphorylation networks has not been systematically explored, representing vast, unchartered territories within cellular signaling networks. Although a large number of in vivo phosphorylated residues have been identified by mass spectrometry (MS)-based approaches, assigning the upstream kinases to these residues requires biochemical analysis of kinase-substrate relationships (KSRs). Here, we developed a new strategy, called CEASAR, based on functional protein microarrays and bioinformatics to experimentally identify substrates for 289 unique kinases, resulting in 3656 high-quality KSRs. We then generated consensus phosphorylation motifs for each of the kinases and integrated this information, along with information about in vivo phosphorylation sites determined by MS, to construct a high-resolution map of phosphorylation networks that connects 230 kinases to 2591 in vivo phosphorylation sites in 652 substrates. The value of this data set is demonstrated through the discovery of a new role for PKA downstream of Btk (Bruton's tyrosine kinase) during B-cell receptor signaling. Overall, these studies provide global insights into kinase-mediated signaling pathways and promise to advance our understanding of cellular signaling processes in humans.

Background Mosaic somatic alterations are present in all multi-cellular organisms, but the physiological effects of low-level mosaicism are largely unknown. Most mosaic alterations remain undetectable with current analytical approaches, although the presence of such alterations is increasingly implicated as causative for disease. Results Here, we present the Parent-of-Origin-based Detection (POD) method for chromosomal abnormality detection in trio-based SNP microarray data. Our software implementation, triPOD, was benchmarked using a simulated dataset, outperformed comparable software for sensitivity of abnormality detection, and displayed substantial improvement in the detection of low-level mosaicism while maintaining comparable specificity. Examples of low-level mosaic abnormalities from a large autism dataset demonstrate the benefits of the increased sensitivity provided by triPOD. The triPOD analyses showed robustness across multiple types of Illumina microarray chips. Two large, clinically-relevant datasets were characterized and compared. Conclusions Our method and software provide a significant advancement in the ability to detect low-level mosaic abnormalities, thereby opening new avenues for research into the implications of mosaicism in pathogenic and non-pathogenic processes.