1. Enhanced Efficacy of Aurora Kinase Inhibitors in G2/M Checkpoint Deficient TP53 Mutant Uterine Carcinomas Is Linked to the Summation of LKB1–AKT–p53 Interactions
- Author
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Mosammat Faria Afreen, Kin-Hoe Chow, Bo R. Rueda, Joyce F. Liu, Nikolas Kesten, Liping Yuan, Katherine N. Lynch, Ursula A. Matulonis, Michael J. Worley, Sarah J. Hill, Michael G. Muto, Christopher P. Crum, Colleen M. Feltmate, Whitfield B. Growdon, Ruiyang He, Neil S. Horowitz, Aniket Shetty, Ross S. Berkowitz, Lynch, Katherine N. [0000-0002-6842-7268], Hill, Sarah J. [0000-0002-9199-9459], Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository, Lynch, Katherine N [0000-0002-6842-7268], and Hill, Sarah J [0000-0002-9199-9459]
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0301 basic medicine ,p53 ,Cancer Research ,LKB1 ,Mutant ,Aurora inhibitor ,Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens ,Biology ,uterine cancer ,03 medical and health sciences ,Wee1 ,030104 developmental biology ,0302 clinical medicine ,Aurora kinase ,Oncology ,Downregulation and upregulation ,Apoptosis ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Cancer research ,biology.protein ,G2/M cell cycle checkpoint ,Protein kinase B ,Mitosis ,RC254-282 - Abstract
Uterine carcinoma (UC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the United States. TP53 mutant UCs cause a disproportionate number of deaths due to limited therapies for these tumors and the lack of mechanistic understanding of their fundamental vulnerabilities. Here we sought to understand the functional and therapeutic relevance of TP53 mutations in UC. We functionally profiled targetable TP53 dependent DNA damage repair and cell cycle control pathways in a panel of TP53 mutant UC cell lines and patient-derived organoids. There were no consistent defects in DNA damage repair pathways. Rather, most models demonstrated dependence on defective G2/M cell cycle checkpoints and subsequent upregulation of Aurora kinase-LKB1-p53-AKT signaling in the setting of baseline mitotic defects. This combination makes them sensitive to Aurora kinase inhibition. Resistant lines demonstrated an intact G2/M checkpoint, and combining Aurora kinase and WEE1 inhibitors, which then push these cells through mitosis with Aurora kinase inhibitor-induced spindle defects, led to apoptosis in these cases. Overall, this work presents Aurora kinase inhibitors alone or in combination with WEE1 inhibitors as relevant mechanism driven therapies for TP53 mutant UCs. Context specific functional assessment of the G2/M checkpoint may serve as a biomarker in identifying Aurora kinase inhibitor sensitive tumors.
- Published
- 2021
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