Abstract 575: Identification of SORL1 as a key regulator of chemoresistance in ovarian cancer
Authors: Mansolf Miranda , Jian Ziyan , Bi Fangfang , Hartwich Tobias M. , Yang-Hartwich Yang 
Published: March 2024

This study aimed to understand the molecular mechanism of platinum chemoresistance in recurrent ovarian tumors with a focus on the SORL1-regulated pathways. SORL1 is an intracellular sorting receptor that binds to HER2 in breast cancer; this promotes HER2 recycling to the cell surface, which ultimately impacts the progression and treatment of breast cancer. The role of SORL1 in ovarian cancer has not been extensively studied.

Method: RNA was extracted from 15 pairs of matched primary and recurrent high grade serous ovarian tumors collected from patients. Human transcriptomic microarray was used to identify the differentially expressed genes. The identified genes were validated by RT-QPCR and western blot in five ovarian cancer cell lines that were treated or untreated with carboplatin. To study the effects of identified target gene SORL1, overexpression and knockdown in ovarian cancer cell lines were established using SORL1 plasmid and shRNA. Proliferation and response to carboplatin were analyzed using celltiter Glo and caspase-3/7 activity assays respectively. EGFR and FGFR4 were identified as the interacting proteins of SORL1 in ovarian cancer cells through FGF1 and EGF1 treatment and co-immunoprecipitation. A proximity ligation assay was performed to validate their interactions. Finally, a xenograft mouse model was used to compare the tumor forming abilities and the response to carboplatin of SORL1-knockdown ovarian cancer cells and the control cancer cells in vivo. Protein expression of SORL1, EGFR, and FGFR4 in the collected tumors was determined via western blot.

Result: Transcriptomic analysis of matched human primary and recurrent ovarian tumors identified SORL1 as an upregulated gene in recurrent tumors compared to primary samples. SORL1 expression was also upregulated in ovarian cancer cells surviving carboplatin treatment. Proliferation assays demonstrated that SORL1-overexpressing and knockdown cell lines had increased and inhibited proliferative capabilities respectively. Caspase-3 activity assays showed that SORL1-overexpressing and knockdown cell lines had reduced and increased sensitivity to carboplatin treatment respectively. SORL1 was found to bind to and promote the expression of EGFR and FGFR4. When injected subcutaneously into nude mice, SORL1-knockdown cells had reduced tumor forming capabilities and increased sensitivity to carboplatin. SORL1-knockdown caused the tumors to express lower levels of SORL1, EGFR, and FGFR4 proteins in comparison with the control tumors.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that SORL1 regulates the EGFR and FGF4 pathways to promote the growth and carboplatin resistance of ovarian cancer cells. Targeting this pathway has potential to aid in the treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Citation Format: Miranda Mansolf, Ziyan Jian, Fangfang Bi, Tobias M. Hartwich, Yang Yang-Hartwich. Identification of SORL1 as a key regulator of chemoresistance in ovarian cancer [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 575.