Abstract 1197: Endothelin-1 receptor/β-arrestin1 is an actionable node that regulates YAP/TAZ signaling and chemoresistance in high-grade ovarian cancer
Authors: Tocci Piera , Cianfrocca Roberta , Rosanò Laura , Sestito Rosanna , Castro Valeriana Di , Blandino Giovanni , Bagnato Anna 
Published: July 2017

The widespread activation of YAP and TAZ transcriptional regulators has been shown to promote tumor progression and resistance to anti-cancer therapies. Extensive studies have identified different upstream regulators of YAP/TAZ, including G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR). However how GPCR signals regulate YAP/TAZ puzzles have remained elusive. Among the GPCR, we reveal that the endothelin-1 (ET-1) receptor activates YAP/TAZ pathway in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HG-SOC) sensitive and resistant cell lines and primary cultures. In HG-SOC cells, the aberrant activation of ET-1 receptor (ET-1R), promotes an enhanced nuclear shuttling of dephosphorylated YAP and TAZ in a time-dependent manner, through the scaffold protein β-arrestin1 (β-arr1). Interestingly, ET-1-induced YAP/TAZ nuclear accumulation is further improved in platinum-resistant cells and is prevented by expressing a mutant β-arr1 incapable of nuclear distribution. Moreover, the ET-1/ETAR axis activation induces the co-localization of β-arr1, YAP and TAZ in the nucleus. Mechanistically, in sensitive and to a greater extent in resistant cells, ET-1 induces the formation of a complex β-arr1/Trio, a Rho-Guanine nucleotide exchange factor family member, which dephosphorylates YAP, inducing its nuclear accumulation and the transcription of YAP/TAZ target genes. β-arr1, RhoA or Trio depletion, as well as the treatment with the dual ETAR/ETBR antagonist macitentan, significantly reduces RhoA GTPase activity and YAP nuclear translocation, suggesting that ET-1/ETAR axis regulates YAP/TAZ activity by driving β-arr1/Trio/RhoA pathway. According with these results, the ET-1-induced upregulation of YAP/TEAD target genes, such as CYR61, CTGF, ANKRD1 and EDN1, as well as TEAD transcriptional activity and cell invasion, are inhibited upon β-arr1, Trio, or YAP silencing, or macitentan treatment, demonstrating that β-arr1-mediated intersections are required for ET-1-induced YAP signaling. At the chromatin level, the activation of ET-1 axis promotes the recruitment of YAP, TEAD and β-arr1 on TEAD binding sites of CTGF, ANKRD1 and EDN1 promoters, an effect inhibited by macitentan treatment. These results indicate that β-arr1 can act as a transcription co-activator that bind TEAD thereby activating transcription of EDN1, which in turn, can sustain persistent YAP/TAZ activity through an autocrine loop. In murine orthotopic model of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) of HG-SOC, ET-1R blockade by macitentan, inhibits tumor growth, enhances the sensitivity to chemotherapy and reduces YAP and TEAD transcriptional activity. Altogether our results establish for the first time YAP/TAZ as critical downstream effectors of ET-1R/β-arr1 signaling, providing mechanistic insights that targeting ET-1R signaling overcomes YAP/TAZ driven platinum-based therapy failure in HG-SOC.

Citation Format: Piera Tocci, Roberta Cianfrocca, Laura Rosanò, Rosanna Sestito, Valeriana Di Castro, Giovanni Blandino, Anna Bagnato. Endothelin-1 receptor/β-arrestin1 is an actionable node that regulates YAP/TAZ signaling and chemoresistance in high-grade ovarian cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1197. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1197