Anti-KIT monoclonal antibody inhibits imatinib-resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumor growth

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common sarcoma of the gastrointestinal tract and arises from the interstitial cells of Cajal. It is characterized by expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase CD117 (KIT). In 70–80% of GIST cases, oncogenic mutations in KIT are present, leading to c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2013-02, Vol.110 (9), p.3501-3506
Main Authors: Edris, Badreddin, Willingham, Stephen B., Weiskopf, Kipp, Volkmer, Anne K., Volkmer, Jens-Peter, Mühlenberg, Thomas, Montgomery, Kelli D., Contreras-Trujillo, Humberto, Czechowicz, Agnieszka, Fletcher, Jonathan A., West, Robert B., Weissman, Irving L., van de Rijn, Matt
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antibodies, Monoclonal - pharmacology
Antibodies, Monoclonal - therapeutic use
Benzamides
Biological Sciences
Cancer
Cell growth
Cell Line, Tumor
Cell lines
Cell Membrane - drug effects
Cell Membrane - metabolism
Cell Proliferation - drug effects
Cells
Disease control
Drug Resistance, Neoplasm - drug effects
Gastrointestinal diseases
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors - drug therapy
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors - pathology
Heterologous transplantation
Humans
Imatinib Mesylate
Macrophages
Macrophages - drug effects
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Mice, Transgenic
Monoclonal antibodies
Mutation
Phagocytosis
Phagocytosis - drug effects
Piperazines - pharmacology
Piperazines - therapeutic use
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit - immunology
Pyrimidines - pharmacology
Pyrimidines - therapeutic use
Receptors
Summarization
Tumors
Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
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Summary:Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common sarcoma of the gastrointestinal tract and arises from the interstitial cells of Cajal. It is characterized by expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase CD117 (KIT). In 70–80% of GIST cases, oncogenic mutations in KIT are present, leading to constitutive activation of the receptor, which drives the proliferation of these tumors. Treatment of GIST with imatinib, a small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, inhibits KIT-mediated signaling and initially results in disease control in 70–85% of patients with KIT-positive GIST. However, the vast majority of patients eventually develop resistance to imatinib treatment, leading to disease progression and posing a significant challenge in the clinical management of these tumors. Here, we show that an anti-KIT monoclonal antibody (mAb), SR1, is able to slow the growth of three human GIST cell lines in vitro. Importantly, these reductions in cell growth were equivalent between imatinib-resistant and imatinib-sensitive GIST cell lines. Treatment of GIST cell lines with SR1 reduces cell-surface KIT expression, suggesting that mAb-induced KIT down-regulation may be a mechanism by which SR1 inhibits GIST growth. Furthermore, we also show that SR1 treatment enhances phagocytosis of GIST cells by macrophages, indicating that treatment with SR1 may enhance immune cell-mediated tumor clearance. Finally, using two xenotransplantation models of imatinib-sensitive and imatinib-resistant GIST, we demonstrate that SR1 is able to strongly inhibit tumor growth in vivo. These results suggest that treatment with mAbs targeting KIT may represent an alternative, or complementary, approach for treating GIST.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1222893110