Abstract 3369: Dual inhibition of ATR and PI3K pathways promotes cell death in platinum-resistant endometrial cancer cells by increasing DNA damage
Authors: Ibanez Kristen R. , Huang Tzu-Ting , Sotiriou Sotirios , Lin Yvonne G. , Lee Jung-Min 
Published: March 2024

Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy with increasing incidence and mortality in the U.S. Among the four subtypes characterized by the Cancer Genome Atlas, the serous-like copy number high (CNH) subtype which occurs in 15-25% of EC is associated with poor prognosis and platinum resistance, requiring alternative treatment options. ~85% CNH EC cases have impaired G1/S checkpoint regulation, making cells rely on ATR-mediated G2/M cell cycle checkpoints for optimal DNA replication and repair. Additionally, over 80% of ECs exhibit PI3K pathway activation (e.g., PIK3CA mutations), linked to enhanced DNA repair and drug resistance. Therefore, we hypothesized that dual ATR and PI3Kα inhibition would enhance DNA damage, increasing cell death in EC.

Methods: CNH EC cell lines included platinum-resistant (KLE, MFE280, HEC1A, ARK2) as well as platinum-sensitive (ARK1) lines used to evaluate the activity of ATR inhibitor (ATRi) camonsertib and PI3Kα inhibitor (PI3Kαi) inavolisib. Cell growth was assessed by 3-day XTT and 9-12-day colony-forming assays. The degree of combination synergy, additivity, or antagonism was calculated using SynergyFinder with a reference highest single agent (HSA) model. An HSA synergy score &gt; 10 indicates synergy, -10 to 10 suggests additivity and &lt; -10 represents antagonism. DNA damage endpoints were measured by alkaline comet assay and immunoblotting for γ-H2AX. Data were repeated in triplicate, analyzed using one-way ANOVA test, and shown as mean ± SD. P &lt; 0.05 was statistically significant.

Results: All tested EC cell lines showed sensitivity to clinically attainable doses of ATRi monotherapy (IC50 0.09 - 0.98 μM), but varying sensitivity to PI3Kαi monotherapy (IC50 0.03 - 67.01 μM) unrelated to their PIK3CA mutation status. Combination treatment using clinically

attainable concentrations (camonsertib &lt; 6 μM; inavolisib &lt; 10 μM) yielded additivity in all cell lines independent of platinum sensitivity (HSA synergy scores -0.8-10.0). Notably, increased cytotoxic effects were observed in both PIK3CA wild-type (KLE) and PIK3CA-mutant (MFE280 and HEC1A) platinum-resistant lines by colony-forming assays (4.8- to 15.4-fold decrease in colony-forming ability relative to ATRi; 1.5- to 3.5-fold decrease relative to PI3Kαi). ATRi and PI3Kαi combination induced greater DNA damage, evidenced by elevated mean comet tail moment relative to ATRi (increased 2.5- to 6.7-fold; P &lt; 0.01) or PI3Kαi (increased 2.1- to 5.6-fold; P &lt; 0.01) regardless of PIK3CA mutation status. Increased γ-H2AX levels were found in HEC1A cells with combination treatment (3.2-fold increase relative to ATRi; 16-fold increase relative to PI3Kαi).

Conclusion: Our results suggest that dual inhibition of ATR and PI3K pathways induces greater cell death by increasing DNA damage in platinum-resistant EC cells independent of PIK3CA mutation status.

Citation Format: Kristen R. Ibanez, Tzu-Ting Huang, Sotirios Sotiriou, Yvonne G. Lin, Jung-Min Lee. Dual inhibition of ATR and PI3K pathways promotes cell death in platinum-resistant endometrial cancer cells by increasing DNA damage [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 3369.