Abstract
Medulloblastoma is a highly malignant pediatric brain tumor associated with poor outcome. Developing treatments that target the cancer stem cell (CSC) population in medulloblastoma are important to prevent tumor relapse and induce long-lasting clinical responses. We utilized medulloblastoma neurospheres that display CSC characteristics and found activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway in sphere-forming cells. Of all class IA PI3Ks, only the PI3Kα isoform was required for sphere formation by medulloblastoma cells. Knockdown of p110a, but not p110β or p110δ, significantly disrupted cancer stem cell frequencies as determined by extreme limiting dilution analysis (ELDA), indicating an essential role for the PI3Ka catalytic isoform in medulloblastoma CSCs. Importantly, pharmacologic inhibition of the MAPK-interacting kinase (MNK) enhanced the antineoplastic effects of targeted PI3Kα inhibition in medulloblastoma. This indicates that MNK signaling promotes survival in medulloblastoma, suggesting dual PI3Kα and MNK inhibition may provide a novel approach to target and eliminate medulloblastoma CSCs. We also observed a significant reduction in tumor formation in subcutaneous and intracranial mouse xenograft models, which further suggests that this combinatorial approach may represent an efficient therapeutic strategy for medulloblastoma. Implications: These findings raise the possibility of a unique therapeutic approach for medulloblastoma, involving MNK targeting to sensitize medulloblastoma CSCs to PI3Kα inhibition.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1305-1315 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Molecular Cancer Research |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1 2019 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Oncology
- Cancer Research
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Potent antineoplastic effects of combined PI3Kα-MNK inhibition in medulloblastoma. / Eckerdt, Frank Dieter; Bell, Jonathan B.; Beauchamp, Elspeth Morrison; Clymer, Jessica; Blyth, Gavin T.; Kosciuczuk, Ewa M.; Ma, Quanhong; Chen, David Z.; Horbinski, Craig Michael; Goldman, Stewart; Munshi, Hidayatullah G; Hashizume, Rintaro; Platanias, Leonidas C.
In: Molecular Cancer Research, Vol. 17, No. 6, 01.06.2019, p. 1305-1315.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Potent antineoplastic effects of combined PI3Kα-MNK inhibition in medulloblastoma
AU - Eckerdt, Frank Dieter
AU - Bell, Jonathan B.
AU - Beauchamp, Elspeth Morrison
AU - Clymer, Jessica
AU - Blyth, Gavin T.
AU - Kosciuczuk, Ewa M.
AU - Ma, Quanhong
AU - Chen, David Z.
AU - Horbinski, Craig Michael
AU - Goldman, Stewart
AU - Munshi, Hidayatullah G
AU - Hashizume, Rintaro
AU - Platanias, Leonidas C
PY - 2019/6/1
Y1 - 2019/6/1
N2 - Medulloblastoma is a highly malignant pediatric brain tumor associated with poor outcome. Developing treatments that target the cancer stem cell (CSC) population in medulloblastoma are important to prevent tumor relapse and induce long-lasting clinical responses. We utilized medulloblastoma neurospheres that display CSC characteristics and found activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway in sphere-forming cells. Of all class IA PI3Ks, only the PI3Kα isoform was required for sphere formation by medulloblastoma cells. Knockdown of p110a, but not p110β or p110δ, significantly disrupted cancer stem cell frequencies as determined by extreme limiting dilution analysis (ELDA), indicating an essential role for the PI3Ka catalytic isoform in medulloblastoma CSCs. Importantly, pharmacologic inhibition of the MAPK-interacting kinase (MNK) enhanced the antineoplastic effects of targeted PI3Kα inhibition in medulloblastoma. This indicates that MNK signaling promotes survival in medulloblastoma, suggesting dual PI3Kα and MNK inhibition may provide a novel approach to target and eliminate medulloblastoma CSCs. We also observed a significant reduction in tumor formation in subcutaneous and intracranial mouse xenograft models, which further suggests that this combinatorial approach may represent an efficient therapeutic strategy for medulloblastoma. Implications: These findings raise the possibility of a unique therapeutic approach for medulloblastoma, involving MNK targeting to sensitize medulloblastoma CSCs to PI3Kα inhibition.
AB - Medulloblastoma is a highly malignant pediatric brain tumor associated with poor outcome. Developing treatments that target the cancer stem cell (CSC) population in medulloblastoma are important to prevent tumor relapse and induce long-lasting clinical responses. We utilized medulloblastoma neurospheres that display CSC characteristics and found activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway in sphere-forming cells. Of all class IA PI3Ks, only the PI3Kα isoform was required for sphere formation by medulloblastoma cells. Knockdown of p110a, but not p110β or p110δ, significantly disrupted cancer stem cell frequencies as determined by extreme limiting dilution analysis (ELDA), indicating an essential role for the PI3Ka catalytic isoform in medulloblastoma CSCs. Importantly, pharmacologic inhibition of the MAPK-interacting kinase (MNK) enhanced the antineoplastic effects of targeted PI3Kα inhibition in medulloblastoma. This indicates that MNK signaling promotes survival in medulloblastoma, suggesting dual PI3Kα and MNK inhibition may provide a novel approach to target and eliminate medulloblastoma CSCs. We also observed a significant reduction in tumor formation in subcutaneous and intracranial mouse xenograft models, which further suggests that this combinatorial approach may represent an efficient therapeutic strategy for medulloblastoma. Implications: These findings raise the possibility of a unique therapeutic approach for medulloblastoma, involving MNK targeting to sensitize medulloblastoma CSCs to PI3Kα inhibition.
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U2 - 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-18-1193
DO - 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-18-1193
M3 - Article
VL - 17
SP - 1305
EP - 1315
JO - Molecular Cancer Research
JF - Molecular Cancer Research
SN - 1541-7786
IS - 6
ER -