Molecular mechanism of erlotinib resistance in epidermal growth factor receptor mutant non-small cell lung cancer cell line H1650

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpression and mutations were existed in more than 40% of the lung cancer, and it's the one of molecular targets in clinical treatment. But the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI)-resistance is becoming a challenging clinical problem as following the application of EGFR-TKIs, Gefitinib or Erlotinib. However, the mechanistic explanation for resistance in the some cases is still lacking. Here we researched the resistance mechanism of H1650 cells.

Methods: Using real-time RT-PCR to analyze the EGFR mRNA expression level in EGFR wild-type non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells; MTT analysis detected the cytotoxicity for NSCLC cells to Erlotinib; Western blot analysis examined the mutant situations and the downstream signaling protein phosphorylation level in EGFR-mutant NSCLC cells with the treatment of Erlotinib or/and PI3K inhibitor, LY294002.

Results: In the EGFR wild-type NSCLC cells, the expression level of EGFR mRNA varied dramatically and all the cells showed resistant to Erlotinib; In the EGFR-mutant cells, HCC827 and H1650 (the same activating-mutation type), HCC827 cells were Erlotinib-sensitive as well as H1650 demonstrated primary relative resistance. Western blot analysis showed the loss of PTEN and the p-AKT level was not inhibited with the treatment of Erlotinib or/and LY294002 in H1650 cells, while HCC827 cells were no PTEN loss and definitively decrease of p-AKT level.

Conclusions: EGFR wild-type NSCLC cells were resistant to Erlotinib no matter of how EGFR mRNA expression level. EGFR-activating mutations correlated with responses to Erlotinib. The PTEN loss and activation of AKT signaling pathway contributed to Erlotinib resistance in EGFR-mutant NSCLC cell line H1650.