Concurrent Inhibition of the RAS-MAPK Pathway and PIKfyve Is a Therapeutic Strategy for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by KRAS- and autophagy-dependent growth. Inhibition of the KRAS–RAF–MEK–ERK pathway enhances autophagic flux and dependency, and concurrent treatment with the nonspecific autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (CQ) and ERK–MAPK pathway inhibitors can synergistically block PDAC growth. However, CQ is limited in terms of specificity and potency. To find alternative anti-autophagy strategies, in this study, we performed a CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screen in PDAC cell lines that identified the lipid kinase phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate 5-kinase (PIKfyve) as a growth-promoting gene. PIKfyve inhibition by the small molecule apilimod resulted in durable growth suppression, with much greater potency than CQ treatment. PIKfyve inhibition caused lysosomal dysfunction, reduced autophagic flux, and led to the accumulation of autophagy-related proteins. Furthermore, PIKfyve inhibition blocked the compensatory increases in autophagic flux associated both with MEK inhibition and with direct RAS inhibition. Accordingly, combined inhibition of PIKfyve and the RAS–MAPK pathway showed robust growth suppression across a panel of KRAS-mutant PDAC models. Growth suppression was due, in part, to potentiated cell-cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis following loss of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins. These findings indicate that concurrent inhibition of RAS and PIKfyve is a synergistic, cytotoxic combination that may represent a therapeutic strategy for PDAC.

Significance: PIKfyve inhibition effectively blocks autophagy in multiple models of KRAS-mutant pancreatic cancer and can synergize with inhibitors of members of the RAS–MAPK pathway, providing an effective combination strategy for pancreatic cancer.