Inhibition of RPS6K reveals context-dependent Akt activity in luminal breast cancer cells.

Aberrant signaling through insulin (Ins) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF1) receptors contribute to the risk and advancement of many cancer types by activating cell survival cascades. Similarities between these pathways have thus far prevented the development of pharmacological interventions th...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cemal Erdem, Adrian V Lee, D Lansing Taylor, Timothy R Lezon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-06-01
Series:PLoS Computational Biology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009125
Description
Summary:Aberrant signaling through insulin (Ins) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF1) receptors contribute to the risk and advancement of many cancer types by activating cell survival cascades. Similarities between these pathways have thus far prevented the development of pharmacological interventions that specifically target either Ins or IGF1 signaling. To identify differences in early Ins and IGF1 signaling mechanisms, we developed a dual receptor (IGF1R & InsR) computational response model. The model suggested that ribosomal protein S6 kinase (RPS6K) plays a critical role in regulating MAPK and Akt activation levels in response to Ins and IGF1 stimulation. As predicted, perturbing RPS6K kinase activity led to an increased Akt activation with Ins stimulation compared to IGF1 stimulation. Being able to discern differential downstream signaling, we can explore improved anti-IGF1R cancer therapies by eliminating the emergence of compensation mechanisms without disrupting InsR signaling.
ISSN:1553-734X
1553-7358