Abstract .pdf

Abstract
Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
gene mutations can exhibit a strong dependence on mutant EGFR signaling for growth and
survival. They are also sensitive to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which provide
superior clinical benefits to conventional chemotherapy. However, despite initial response, most
patients experience relapse with resistant tumors within a year. This study aims to identify
modifiers of dependence on mutant EGFR signaling and the mechanisms by which they do so
in order to improve therapeutic strategies and outcomes.
A genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 genetic knockout screen was conducted to identify
genes whose loss-of-function confer EGFR-TKI resistance. A pooled sgRNA library targeted
more than 18,000 protein-coding human genes with multiple sgRNAs. The lung cancer cell line
HCC827 was used as it is EGFR-mutant and sensitive to EGFR TKIs. Cells were transduced
with the sgRNA library and cultured in the presence of erlotinib, an EGFR TKI, or DMSO control
for 17 days. sgRNAs that were enriched in erlotinib-treated groups over control groups were
identified, indicating genes whose loss-of-function confer TKI resistance. The RNAi gene
enrichment ranking (RIGER) algorithm was applied to identify gene hits with enrichment of
multiple sgRNAs targeting a single gene.
Top-ranked candidates include previously confirmed genes PTEN, NF1, NF2, TSC1,
and TSC2; validating this system as a means to identify modifiers of EGFR dependence in
HCC827 cells. A novel candidate gene is the E3 ubiquitin ligase HUWE1. This study shows that
suppression of HUWE1 by inducible short hairpin RNA (shRNA) in HCC827 cells re-activated
AKT and ERK1/2 signaling pathways and increased cell survival in response to EGFR inhibition.
These findings were confirmed in vivo by implanting mouse xenografts of HCC827 cells with
suppressed HUWE1 expression and monitoring tumor development in response to erlotinib.
Tumors with suppressed HUWE1 continued to grow into large tumors whereas control cells had
durable tumor regression throughout the treatment period.

We have shown that dependence on EGFR signaling can be decreased in EGFR-mutant
lung cancer cells through mechanisms that involve the activation of AKT and ERK1/2 signaling
pathways. Future studies involve identifying HUWE1 substrates/interactions that participate in
tumor cell response to EGFR inhibitors, revealing a novel mechanism of resistance to EGFRtargeted therapy.