Aurora-A/ERK1/2/mTOR axis promotes tumor progression in triple-negative breast cancer and dual-targeting Aurora-A/mTOR shows synthetic lethality

Cell Death Dis. 2019 Aug 13;10(8):606. doi: 10.1038/s41419-019-1855-z.

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), defined as a tumor subtype that lacks ER, PR, and HER2, shows a poor prognosis due to its aggressive tumor biology and limited treatment options. Deregulation of Aurora kinase A (Aur-A), a member of the mitotic serine/threonine Aurora kinase family, and overactivation of the mTOR pathway commonly occur in multiple cancer types. We previously found that Aur-A activated the mTOR pathway and inhibited autophagy activity in breast cancer cell models. Whether and how Aur-A regulates mTOR in TNBC are still unclear. Here, we found that Aur-A and p-mTOR are highly expressed and positively associated with each other in TNBC cells and tissues. Inhibition or knockdown of Aur-A decreased p-mTOR and suppressed cell proliferation and migration, whereas overexpression of Aur-A increased p-mTOR levels and promoted cell proliferation and migration, which was significantly abrogated by simultaneous silencing of mTOR. Intriguingly, overexpression of Aur-A enhanced the expression of p-mTOR and p-ERK1/2, and silencing or inhibition of ERK1/2 blocked Aur-A-induced p-mTOR. However, silencing or inhibition of mTOR failed to reverse Aur-A-induced ERK1/2, indicating that Aur-A/ERK1/2/mTOR forms an oncogenic cascade in TNBC. We finally found that double inhibition of Aur-A and mTOR showed significant synergistic effects in TNBC cell lines and a xenograft model, indicating that Aur-A and mTOR are potential therapeutic targets in the TNBC subtype.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Aurora Kinase A / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Aurora Kinase A / metabolism*
  • Azepines / pharmacology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Disease Progression*
  • Drug Synergism
  • Enzyme Activation / drug effects
  • Female
  • Gene Silencing / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Inhibitory Concentration 50
  • MAP Kinase Signaling System* / drug effects
  • Mice, Nude
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Pyrimidines / pharmacology
  • Sirolimus / pharmacology
  • Synthetic Lethal Mutations* / genetics
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Azepines
  • MLN 8237
  • Pyrimidines
  • Aurora Kinase A
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Sirolimus