IRS1 phosphorylation underlies the non-stochastic probability of cancer cells to persist during EGFR inhibition therapy

Adi Jacob Berger, Elinor Gigi, Lana Kupershmidt, Zohar Meir, Nancy Gavert, Yaara Zwang, Amir Prior, Shlomit Gilad, Uzi Harush, Izhak Haviv, Salomon M. Stemmer, Galia Blum, Emmanuelle Merquiol, Mariya Mardamshina, Sivan Kaminski Strauss, Gilgi Friedlander, Jair Bar, Iris Kamer, Yitzhak Reizel, Tamar GeigerYitzhak Pilpel, Yishai Levin, Amos Tanay, Baruch Barzel, Hadas Reuveni, Ravid Straussman*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Stochastic transition of cancer cells between drug-sensitive and drug-tolerant persister phenotypes has been proposed to play a key role in non-genetic resistance to therapy. Yet, we show here that cancer cells actually possess a highly stable inherited chance to persist (CTP) during therapy. This CTP is non-stochastic, determined pre-treatment and has a unimodal distribution ranging from 0 to almost 100%. Notably, CTP is drug specific. We found that differential serine/threonine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) protein determines the CTP of lung and of head and neck cancer cells under epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition, both in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, the first-in-class IRS1 inhibitor NT219 was highly synergistic with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor therapy across multiple in vitro and in vivo models. Elucidation of drug-specific mechanisms that determine the degree and stability of cellular CTP may establish a framework for the elimination of cancer persisters, using new rationally designed drug combinations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1055-1070
Number of pages16
JournalNature Cancer
Volume2
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2021

Funding

FundersFunder number
Fabrikant-Morse Families Research Fund for Humanity
Moross Integrated Cancer Center
Rabin Medical Center
Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust2012PG-ISL013
Rising Tide Foundation

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