Generation and characterization of MEK and ERK inhibitors- resistant non-small-cells-lung-cancer (NSCLC) cells

BACKGROUND: The RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway is one of the most downregulated pathway in cancer. Inhibitors of RAF and MEK have established clinical use while ERK inhibitors recently faced the clinic. We aimed to generate resistant cell lines which could be helpful for defining new combinations able to overcome resistance. METHODS: the human NSCLC cell line NCI-H727, sensitive to both MEK and ERK inhibitors, was treated with increasing concentrations of MEK162 (as MEK inhibitor) or SCH772984 as ERK inhibitor. RESULTS: we successfully obtained a MEK resistant subline (H727/MEK, after 40 passages) as well as an ERK resistant subline (H727/SCH, after 18 passages). The two resistant sublines H727/MEK and H727/SCH were cross-resistant to ERK and MEK inhibitors, respectively, but not to RAF inhibitors. The sublines maintained the responsiveness to inhibitors of the parallel PI3K/akt/mTOR pathway as well as to agents with different mechanism of action. Mechanistically, treatment of sensitive and resistant cells with MEK or ERK inhibitors was able to induce a similar inhibition of ERK phosphorylation, while only in parental cells the drugs were able to induce a downregulation of S6 and RSK phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS: these resistant cells represent an important tool for further studies on the mechanisms of resistance and ways to overcome it.