Systematic mapping of BCL-2 gene dependencies in cancer reveals molecular determinants of BH3 mimetic sensitivity

Ryan S. Soderquist, Lorin Crawford, Esther Liu, Min Lu, Anika Agarwal, Gray R. Anderson, Kevin H. Lin, Peter S. Winter, Merve Cakir and Kris C. Wood ()
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Ryan S. Soderquist: Duke University
Lorin Crawford: Duke University
Esther Liu: Duke University
Min Lu: Duke University
Anika Agarwal: Duke University
Gray R. Anderson: Duke University
Kevin H. Lin: Duke University
Peter S. Winter: Duke University
Merve Cakir: Duke University
Kris C. Wood: Duke University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract While inhibitors of BCL-2 family proteins (BH3 mimetics) have shown promise as anti-cancer agents, the various dependencies or co-dependencies of diverse cancers on BCL-2 genes remain poorly understood. Here we develop a drug screening approach to define the sensitivity of cancer cells from ten tissue types to all possible combinations of selective BCL-2, BCL-XL, and MCL-1 inhibitors and discover that most cell lines depend on at least one combination for survival. We demonstrate that expression levels of BCL-2 genes predict single mimetic sensitivity, whereas EMT status predicts synergistic dependence on BCL-XL+MCL-1. Lastly, we use a CRISPR/Cas9 screen to discover that BFL-1 and BCL-w promote resistance to all tested combinations of BCL-2, BCL-XL, and MCL-1 inhibitors. Together, these results provide a roadmap for rationally targeting BCL-2 family dependencies in diverse human cancers and motivate the development of selective BFL-1 and BCL-w inhibitors to overcome intrinsic resistance to BH3 mimetics.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05815-z

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