Targeting YAP to overcome acquired resistance to ALK inhibitors in ALK-rearranged lung cancer

Clinical benefit of ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs) in ALK-rearranged lung cancer has been limited by the inevitable development of acquired resistance, and bypass-molecular resistance mechanisms remain poorly understood. We investigated a novel therapeutic target through screening FDA-approved drugs in ALK-TKI-resistant models. Cerivastatin, the rate-limiting enzyme inhibitor of the mevalonate pathway, showed anti-cancer activity against ALK-TKI resistance in vitro/in vivo, accompanied by cytoplasmic retention and subsequent inactivation of transcriptional co-regulator YAP. The marked induction of YAP-targeted oncogenes (EGFR, AXL, CYR61, and TGFβR2) in resistant cells was abolished by cerivastatin. YAP silencing suppressed tumor growth in resistant cells, patient-derived xenografts, and EML4-ALK transgenic mice, whereas YAP overexpression decreased the responsiveness of parental cells to ALK inhibitor. In matched patient samples before/after ALK inhibitor treatment, nuclear..... READ ARTICLE

EMBO Molecular Medicine DOI:10.15252/emmm.201910581

Authors: Mi Ran Yun, Hun Mi Choi, You Won Lee, Hyeong Seok Joo, Chae Won Park, Jae Woo Choi, Dong Hwi Kim, Han Na Kang, Kyoung-Ho Pyo, Eun Joo Shin, Hyo Sup Shim, Ross A Soo, James Chih-Hsin Yang, Sung Sook Lee, Hyun Chang, Min Hwan Kim, Min Hee Hong, Hye Ryun Kim, Byoung Chul Cho