1. Concurrent targeting of GSK3 and MEK as a therapeutic strategy to treat pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
- Author
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Fukuda J, Kosuge S, Satoh Y, Sekiya S, Yamamura R, Ooshio T, Hirata T, Sato R, Hatanaka KC, Mitsuhashi T, Nakamura T, Matsuno Y, Hatanaka Y, Hirano S, and Sonoshita M
- Subjects
- Humans, Mice, Animals, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases, Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 metabolism, Signal Transduction, Cell Line, Tumor, Pancreatic Neoplasms drug therapy, Pancreatic Neoplasms genetics, Pancreatic Neoplasms metabolism, Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal drug therapy, Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal genetics, Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal metabolism
- Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. However, drug discovery for PDAC treatment has proven complicated, leading to stagnant therapeutic outcomes. Here, we identify Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) as a therapeutic target through a whole-body genetic screening utilizing a '4-hit' Drosophila model mimicking the PDAC genotype. Reducing the gene dosage of GSK3 in a whole-body manner or knocking down GSK3 specifically in transformed cells suppressed 4-hit fly lethality, similar to Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), the therapeutic target in PDAC we have recently reported. Consistently, a combination of the GSK3 inhibitor CHIR99021 and the MEK inhibitor trametinib suppressed the phosphorylation of Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) as well as the growth of orthotopic human PDAC xenografts in mice. Additionally, reducing PLK1 genetically in 4-hit flies rescued their lethality. Our results reveal a therapeutic vulnerability in PDAC that offers a treatment opportunity for patients by inhibiting multiple targets., (© 2024 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)
- Published
- 2024
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