Down-regulation of Rictor enhances cell sensitivity to PI3K inhibitor LY294002 by blocking mTORC2-medicated phosphorylation of Akt/PRAS40 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway plays a vital role in regulating cell survival, differentiation, metabolism and migration, which is frequently hyperactive in a number of cancers, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). As the core subunit of mTORC2, Rictor is shown to be amplified in ESCC patients' tissues and plays an important role in regulation of Akt. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of Rictor knockdown on cell sensitivity to PI3K inhibitor LY294002 in ESCC cells and ESCC xenografts as well as its mechanisms. We found LY294002 obviously restrained cell proliferation in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners by inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway, whereas triggered mTORC2-medicated phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473)/PRAS40 (Thr246) in ECa109 and EC9706 cells. Stable knockdown of Rictor by shRNA enhanced the inhibitory effects of LY294002 on cell proliferative, migration and colony formation, as well as promoted its effects on cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis in vitro. Furthermore, stable knockdown of Rictor enhanced the antitumor effects of LY294002 by inhibiting tumor growth and promoting cell apoptosis in vivo. Mechanistic assay revealed that knockdown of Rictor could attenuate LY294002-induced phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473)/PRAS40 (Thr246). Our results provide rationale that combined inhibition of Rictor/mTORC2 and PI3K for the treatment of ESCC.

Hou G ，Zhao Q ，Zhang M ，Fan T ，Liu M ，Shi X ，Ren Y ，Wang Y ，Zhou J ，Lu Z ... -  《-》

Dual inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway suppresses the growth of leiomyosarcomas but leads to ERK activation through mTORC2: biological and clinical implications.

Fourneaux B ，Chaire V ，Lucchesi C ，Karanian M ，Pineau R ，Laroche-Clary A ，Italiano A ... -  《Oncotarget》

A dual mTORC1 and mTORC2 inhibitor shows antitumor activity in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells and sensitizes them to cisplatin.

Huang Y ，Xi Q ，Chen Y ，Wang J ，Peng P ，Xia S ，Yu S ... -  《-》

RICTOR/mTORC2 affects tumorigenesis and therapeutic efficacy of mTOR inhibitors in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Dysregulation of mTORC1/mTORC2 pathway is observed in many cancers and mTORC1 inhibitors have been used clinically in many tumor types; however, the mechanism of mTORC2 in tumorigenesis is still obscure. Here, we mainly explored the potential role of mTORC2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its effects on the sensitivity of cells to mTOR inhibitors. We demonstrated that RICTOR, the key factor of mTORC2, and p-AKT (Ser473) were excessively activated in ESCC and their overexpression is related to lymph node metastasis and the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) phase of ESCC patients. Furthermore, we found that mTORC1/ mTORC2 inhibitor PP242 exhibited more efficacious anti-proliferative effect on ESCC cells than mTORC1 inhibitor RAD001 due to RAD001-triggered feedback activation of AKT signal. Another, we demonstrated that down-regulating expression of RICTOR in ECa109 and EC9706 cells inhibited proliferation and migration as well as induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Noteworthy, knocking-down stably RICTOR significantly suppresses RAD001-induced feedback activation of AKT/PRAS40 signaling, and enhances inhibition efficacy of PP242 on the phosphorylation of AKT and PRAS40, thus potentiates the antitumor effect of RAD001 and PP242 both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings highlight that selective targeting mTORC2 could be a promising therapeutic strategy for future treatment of ESCC.

Lu Z ，Shi X ，Gong F ，Li S ，Wang Y ，Ren Y ，Zhang M ，Yu B ，Li Y ，Zhao W ，Zhang J ，Hou G ... -  《-》

Disruption of the RICTOR/mTORC2 complex enhances the response of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells to PI3K inhibition.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is aberrantly activated in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) and plays a pivotal role in tumorigenesis by driving Akt signaling, leading to cell survival and proliferation. Phosphorylation of Akt Thr308 by PI3K-PDK1 and Akt Ser473 by mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) activates Akt. Targeted inhibition of PI3K is a major area of preclinical and clinical investigation as it reduces Akt Thr308 phosphorylation, suppressing downstream mTORC1 activity. However, inhibition of mTORC1 releases feedback inhibition of mTORC2, resulting in a resurgence of Akt activation mediated by mTORC2. While the role of PI3K-activated Akt signaling is well established in HNSCC, the significance of mTORC2-driven Akt signaling has not been thoroughly examined. Here we explore the expression and function of mTORC2 and its obligate subunit RICTOR in HNSCC primary tumors and cell lines. We find RICTOR to be overexpressed in a subset of HNSCC tumors, including those with PIK3CA or EGFR gene amplifications. Whereas overexpression of RICTOR reduced susceptibility of HNSCC tumor cells to PI3K inhibition, genetic ablation of RICTOR using CRISPR/Cas9 sensitized cells to PI3K inhibition, as well as to EGFR inhibition and cisplatin treatment. Further, mTORC2 disruption led to reduced viability and colony forming abilities of HNSCC cells relative to their parental lines and induced loss of both activating Akt phosphorylation modifications (Thr308 and Ser473). Taken together, our findings establish RICTOR/mTORC2 as a critical oncogenic complex in HNSCC and rationalize the development of an mTORC2-specific inhibitor for use in HNSCC, either combined with agents already under investigation, or as an independent therapy.

Ruicci KM ，Plantinga P ，Pinto N ，Khan MI ，Stecho W ，Dhaliwal SS ，Yoo J ，Fung K ，MacNeil D ，Mymryk JS ，Barrett JW ，Howlett CJ ，Nichols AC ... -  《-》