Mediating EGFR-TKI Resistance by VEGF/VEGFR Autocrine Pathway in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Autor: Chike Osude, Leo Lin, Meet Patel, Adam Eckburg, Joseph Berei, Adijan Kuckovic, Namrata Dube, Aayush Rastogi, Shruti Gautam, Thomas J. Smith, Shylendra B. Sreenivassappa, Neelu Puri
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Cells, Vol 11, Iss 10, p 1694 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2073-4409
DOI: 10.3390/cells11101694
Popis: NSCLC treatment includes targeting of EGFR with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as Erlotinib; however, resistance to TKIs is commonly acquired through T790M EGFR mutations or overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2). We investigated the mechanisms of EGFR-TKI resistance in NSCLC cell lines with EGFR mutations or acquired resistance to Erlotinib. These studies showed upregulated gene and protein expression of VEGF, VEGFR-2, and a VEGF co-receptor neuropilin-1 (NP-1) in Erlotinib-resistant (1.4–5.3-fold) and EGFR double-mutant (L858R and T790M; 4.1–8.3-fold) NSCLC cells compared to parental and EGFR single-mutant (L858R) NSCLC cell lines, respectively. Immunofluorescence and FACS analysis revealed increased expression of VEGFR-2 and NP-1 in EGFR-TKI-resistant cell lines compared to TKI-sensitive cell lines. Cell proliferation assays showed that treatment with a VEGFR-2 inhibitor combined with Erlotinib lowered cell survival in EGFR double-mutant NSCLC cells to 9% compared to 72% after treatment with Erlotinib alone. Furthermore, Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed shorter median survival in late-stage NSCLC patients with high vs. low VEGFR-2 expression (14 mos vs. 21 mos). The results indicate that VEGFR-2 may play a key role in EGFR-TKI resistance and that combined treatment of Erlotinib with a VEGFR-2 inhibitor may serve as an effective therapy in NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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