dactolisib and Cell-Transformation--Neoplastic

Women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at a greater risk of developing and dying from breast cancer than women without T2DM. Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia underlie the pathogenesis of T2DM. In the MKR mouse model of insulin resistance, we have previously shown increased activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mTOR pathway in association with accelerated mammary tumor growth. In this study, we demonstrate that inhibiting PI3K with the oral pan-class I PI3K inhibitor, NVP-BKM120 reduced the growth of Met-1 and MCNeuA mammary tumor orthografts in the MKR mouse. NVP-BKM120 treatment decreased phosphorylation of Akt and S6 ribosomal protein (S6rp); no change in Erk1/2 phosphorylation was seen. Hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia and greater hyperinsulinemia developed in the MKR mice treated with NVP-BKM120. We previously reported reduced tumor growth using intraperitoneal rapamycin in the MKR mouse, with the development of hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia. Therefore, we examined whether the oral PI3K/mTOR inhibitor NVP-BEZ235 augmented the tumor suppressing effects of PI3K inhibition. We also investigated the effect of targeted PI3K/mTOR inhibition on PI3K/Akt/mTOR and Erk1/2 signaling, and the potential effects on glycemia. NVP-BEZ235 suppressed the growth of Met-1 and MCNeuA tumor orthografts, and decreased Akt and S6rp phosphorylation, despite increased Erk1/2 phosphorylation in Met-1 orthografts of MKR mice. Less marked hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia developed with NVP-BEZ235 than NVP-BKM120. Overall, the results of this study demonstrated that inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling with the oral agents NVP-BKM120 and NVP-BEZ235 decreased mammary tumor growth in the hyperinsulinemic MKR mouse. Inhibiting PI3K alone led to more severe metabolic derangement than inhibiting both PI3K and mTOR. Therefore, PI3K may be an important target for the treatment of breast cancer in women with insulin resistance. Monitoring for hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia should be considered when using these agents in humans, given the metabolic changes detected in this study.

Topics: Animals; Cell Proliferation; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Disease Progression; Drug Interactions; Female; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Hyperinsulinism; Imidazoles; Insulin Resistance; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental; Mice; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; Phosphorylation; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Quinolines; Signal Transduction; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. Patients whose tumors exhibit overexpression or amplification of the MYC oncogene (c-MYC) usually have an extremely poor prognosis, but there are no animal models of this subtype of the disease. Here, we show that cerebellar stem cells expressing Myc and mutant Trp53 (p53) generate aggressive tumors following orthotopic transplantation. These tumors consist of large, pleiomorphic cells and resemble human MYC-driven MB at a molecular level. Notably, antagonists of PI3K/mTOR signaling, but not Hedgehog signaling, inhibit growth of tumor cells. These findings suggest that cerebellar stem cells can give rise to MYC-driven MB and identify a novel model that can be used to test therapies for this devastating disease.

Topics: Aminopyridines; Animals; Cell Proliferation; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Cerebellar Neoplasms; Cerebellum; Disease Models, Animal; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Genes, p53; Imidazoles; Medulloblastoma; Mice; Morpholines; Neural Stem Cells; Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; Quinolines; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is regulated by oncogenic growth factor signals and plays a pivotal role in controlling cellular metabolism, growth and survival. Everolimus (RAD001) is an allosteric mTOR inhibitor that has shown marked efficacy in certain cancers but is unable to completely inhibit mTOR activity. ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitors such as NVP-BEZ235 can block rapamycin-insensitive mTOR readouts and have entered clinical development as anti-cancer agents. Here, we show the degree to which RAD001 and BEZ235 can be synergistically combined to inhibit mTOR pathway activation, cell proliferation and tumor growth, both in vitro and in vivo. RAD001 and BEZ235 synergized in cancer lines representing different lineages and genetic backgrounds. Strong synergy is seen in neuronal, renal, breast, lung, and haematopoietic cancer cells harboring abnormalities in PTEN, VHL, LKB1, Her2, or KRAS. Critically, in the presence of RAD001, the mTOR-4EBP1 pathway and tumorigenesis can be fully inhibited using lower doses of BEZ235. This is relevant since RAD001 is relatively well tolerated in patients while the toxicity profiles of ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitors are currently unknown.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Drug Synergism; Everolimus; Humans; Imidazoles; Quinolines; Signal Transduction; Sirolimus; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases