Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology (Jan 2022)

Dual Inhibition of mTORC1/2 Reduces Migration of Cholangiocarcinoma Cells by Regulation of Matrixmetalloproteinases

  • Katharina Joechle,
  • Katharina Joechle,
  • Huda Jumaa,
  • Kerstin Thriene,
  • Claus Hellerbrand,
  • Birte Kulemann,
  • Stefan Fichtner-Feigl,
  • Stefan Fichtner-Feigl,
  • Sven A. Lang,
  • Sven A. Lang,
  • Jessica Guenzle

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2021.785979
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

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Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare but highly aggressive tumor entity for which systemic therapies only showed limited efficacy so far. As OSI-027—a dual kinase inhibitor targeting both mTOR complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2 - showed improved anti-cancer effects, we sought to evaluate its impact on the migratory and metastatic capacity of CCA cells in vitro. We found that treatment with OSI-027 leads to reduced cell mobility and migration as well as a reduced surviving fraction in colony-forming ability. While neither cell viability nor proliferation rate was affected, OSI-027 decreased the expression of MMP2 and MMP9. Moreover, survival as well as anti-apoptotic signaling was impaired upon the use of OSI-027 as determined by AKT and MAPK blotting. Dual targeting of mTORC1/2 might therefore be a viable option for anti-neoplastic therapy in CCA.

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