PIK3R1 loss activates AKT and STAT3 signaling in ovarian cancer

Abstract

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) regulatory subunit p85α is one of the critical gatekeepers of PI3K pathway activation through stabilizing and inhibiting the catalytic subunit p110. p85α is encoded by PIK3R1, which is frequently mutated or deleted in multiple cancer types including ovarian cancer, providing justification of exploring the approaches to target the aberrations. In this study, we observed a spectrum of oncogenic phenotypes in ovarian cancer cells upon knockdown of PIK3R1 in vitro and in vivo, indicating the functional significance of PIK3R1 loss in ovarian cancer. Strikingly, PIK3R1 loss not only led to AKT activation (canonical signaling of PI3K), but also unexpectedly JAK2/STAT3 signaling activation (non-canonical signaling of PI3K). PIK3R1 loss induced translocation of STAT3 into the nucleus, where gene transcription was promoted and thereby the malignant properties. Using in vitro 3D culture spheroid assay, we found that PIK3R1 loss sensitized ovarian cancer cells to AKT inhibitors and JAK2/STAT3 inhibitors. More importantly, the combination of AKT and STAT3 inhibitors resulted in synergistic loss of cell viability. The demonstrated signaling alterations and the associated therapeutic susceptibility downstream of PIK3R1 loss may open new avenue for the treatment of PIK3R1 loss-bearing cancer. [This study was supported by Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong SAR, China, Project No. 27103616]