pd-166866 and Breast-Neoplasms

Breast cancer, representing approximately 30% of all gynecological cancer cases diagnosed yearly, is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality for women. Amplification of FGFR1 is frequently observed in breast cancers and is associated with poor prognosis. Though FGFRs have long been considered as anti-cancer drug targets, and a cluster of FGFR antagonists are currently under clinical trials, the precise cellular responses under the treatment of FGFR antagonists remains unclear. Here, we show that PD166866, an FGFR1-selective inhibitor, inhibits proliferation and triggers anoikis in FGFR1-amplified breast cancer cell lines. Notably, we demonstrate that PD166866 induces autophagy in FGFR1-amplified breast cancer cell lines, while blockage of autophagy by Atg5 knockdown further enhances the anti-proliferative activities of PD166866. Moreover, mechanistic study reveals that PD166866 induces autophagy through repressing Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Together, the present study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-tumor activities of FGFR antagonists, and may further assist the FGFRs-based drug discovery.

Topics: Animals; Autophagy; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Humans; Mice; Mice, Nude; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Pyrimidines; Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1; Signal Transduction; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; Treatment Outcome; Urea