HCC4006 S1 and S2 also lost EGFR phosphorylation (Fig. data represents 3 independent experiments. PF-04971729 Data are presented as the mean SD.(TIFF) pone.0111019.s001.tiff (1.9M) GUID:?B5BA156D-F165-405D-B70F-C1430E8147D1 Data Availability StatementThe authors confirm that all data underlying the findings are fully available without restriction. All relevant data are within the PF-04971729 paper. Abstract The specific mechanisms how lung cancer cells harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activating mutations can survive treatment with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) until they eventually acquire treatment-resistance genetic mutations are unclear. The phenotypic diversity of cancer cells caused by genetic or epigenetic alterations (intratumor heterogeneity) confers treatment failure and may foster tumor evolution through Darwinian selection. Recently, we found DDX3X as the protein that was preferentially expressed in murine melanoma with cancer stem cell (CSC)-like phenotypes by proteome PF-04971729 analysis. In this study, we transfected PC9, human lung cancer cells harboring EGFR exon19 deletion, with cDNA encoding DDX3X and found that DDX3X, an ATP-dependent RNA helicase, induced CSC-like phenotypes and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) accompanied with loss of sensitivity to EGFR-TKI. DDX3X expression was associated with upregulation of Sox2 and increase of cancer cells exhibiting CSC-like phenotypes, such PF-04971729 as anchorage-independent proliferation, strong expression of CD44, and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). The EMT with switching from E-cadherin to N-cadherin was also facilitated by DDX3X. Either ligand-independent or ligand-induced EGFR phosphorylation was inhibited in lung malignancy cells that strongly expressed DDX3X. Lack of EGFR signal habit resulted in resistance to EGFR-TKI. Moreover, we found a small nonadherent subpopulation that strongly expressed DDX3X accompanied from the same stem cell-like properties and the EMT in parental Personal computer9 cells. The unique subpopulation lacked EGFR signaling and was highly resistant to EGFR-TKI. In conclusion, our data indicate that DDX3X may play a critical part for inducing phenotypic diversity, and that treatment focusing on DDX3X may conquer main resistance to EGFR-TKI resulting from intratumor heterogeneity. Introduction Treatments focusing on signal addiction caused by oncogenic driver mutation have led to unprecedented results in the clinical establishing. The use of epidermal growth element receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) offers significantly improved progression-free Rabbit Polyclonal to LFNG survival in lung malignancy individuals harboring activating EGFR mutations; however, it is still hard to accomplish a cure for PF-04971729 lung malignancy, particularly in individuals with advanced-stage disease [1], [2]. The phenotypic diversity of malignancy cells is based on both genetic and nongenetic factors and results in the survival of treatment-resistant cells. Indeed, most acquired resistance reflects the selection of tumor cells harboring stochastic resistance-conferring genetic alterations. However, the mechanisms through which malignancy cells survive until acquisition of additional mutations are unclear. Sharma et al. shown that a small subpopulation of reversibly drug-tolerant cells existed in all examined cancer cells and that drug-tolerant cells behaved as mother cells, providing rise to drug-resistant cells harboring additional mutations [3]. DEAD/H (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp/His) package polypeptide 3, X-linked (DDX3X) is definitely a member of the DEAD-box family of ATP-dependent RNA helicases and is located within the X chromosome [4]. DEAD-box helicases have multiple functions, including RNA splicing, mRNA export, transcriptional and translational regulation, RNA decay, ribosome biogenesis, and miRNA rules [5], [6]. Therefore, DDX3X is thought to be involved in the epigenetic rules of gene manifestation. Our earlier proteome analyses recognized DDX3X like a protein preferentially indicated in purified CD133+ B16 melanoma cells, which possessed malignancy stem cell (CSC)-like properties [7], [8]. Although DDX3X was originally reported to suppress tumor growth by modulating gene manifestation [9], DDX3X has also been demonstrated to be directly correlated with oncogenesis [10], [11]. Recently, whole-exome sequencing recognized DDX3X like a target of driver gene mutations that mediate pathogenic -catenin signaling in medulloblastoma, which helps the CSC theory [12]C[16]. With this study, we sought to investigate the part of DDX3X in conferring EGFR-TKI resistance in lung malignancy cells. Our data suggested that DDX3X may symbolize a novel restorative target for overcoming intratumor heterogeneity in lung malignancy individuals harboring EGFR-activating mutations. Materials and Methods Tumor cells Personal computer9 cells lung adenocarcinoma cells harboring an EGFR exon 19 deletion mutation, were offered from Riken BioResource Center and managed in culture medium (CM) comprising RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-certified fetal calf serum (FCS), 0.1 mM nonessential amino acids, 1 M sodium pyruvate, 100 U/mL penicillin, and 100 g/mL streptomycin sulfate (all from Life Systems, Inc., Tokyo, Japan). HCC4006 lung adenocarcinoma cells harboring an.