Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene amplification and mutation occurs most frequently in glioblastoma (GBM). However, EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), including gefitinib, have not yet shown clear clinical benefit and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. We previously demonstrated that LRIG2 plays a protumorigenic role and functions as a modulator of multiple oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) in GBM. We therefore hypothesized that LRIG2 might mediate the resistance to EGFR inhibitor through modulating other RTK signaling. In this study, we report that LRIG2 is induced by EGFR inhibitor in gefitinib-treated GBM xenografts or cell lines and promotes resistance to EGFR inhibition by driving cell cycle progression and inhibiting apoptosis in GBM cells. Mechanistically, LRIG2 increases the secretion of growth-arrest specific 6 (GAS6) and stabilizes AXL by preventing its proteasome-mediated degradation, leading to enhancement of the gefitinib-induced activation of AXL and then reactivation of the gefitinib-inhibited SRC. Targeting LRIG2 significantly sensitizes the GBM cells to gefitinib, and inhibition of the downstream GAS6/AXL/SRC signaling abrogates LRIG2-mediated gefitinib resistance in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our findings uncover a novel mechanism in resistance to EGFR inhibition and provide a potential therapeutic strategy to overcome resistance to EGFR inhibition in GBM.
基金:
National Natural Science Foundation of China [81472364, 81702480, 81874086]
语种:
外文
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中科院(CAS)分区:
出版当年[2019]版:
大类|2 区医学
小类|2 区生物工程与应用微生物2 区遗传学2 区医学:研究与实验3 区肿瘤学
最新[2025]版:
大类|3 区医学
小类|3 区生物工程与应用微生物3 区遗传学3 区医学:研究与实验4 区肿瘤学
JCR分区:
出版当年[2018]版:
Q1GENETICS & HEREDITYQ1BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGYQ1MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTALQ2ONCOLOGY
最新[2023]版:
Q1BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGYQ1GENETICS & HEREDITYQ1MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTALQ1ONCOLOGY