A pre-existing rare PIK3CAE545K subpopulation confers clinical resistance to MEK plus CDK4/6 inhibition in NRAS melanoma and is dependent on S6K1 signaling [Research Articles]

Combined MEK and CDK4/6 inhibition (MEKi+CDK4i) has shown promising clinical outcomes in NRAS mutant melanoma patients. Here, we interrogated longitudinal biopsies from a patient who initially responded to MEKi+CDK4i therapy but subsequently developed resistance. Whole exome sequencing and functional validation identified an acquired PIK3CAE545K mutation as conferring drug resistance. We demonstrate that PIK3CAE545K pre-existed in a rare subpopulation that was missed by both clinical and research testing, but was revealed upon multi-region sampling due to PIK3CAE545K being non-uniformly distributed. This resistant population rapidly expanded after the initiation of MEKi+CDK4i therapy and persisted in all successive samples even after immune checkpoint therapy and distant metastasis. Functional studies identified activated S6K1 as both a key marker and specific therapeutic vulnerability downstream of PIK3CAE545K-induced resistance. These results demonstrate that difficult-to-detect pre-existing resistance mutations may exist more often than previously appreciated and also posit S6K1 as a common downstream therapeutic nexus for the MAPK, CDK4/6, and PI3K pathways.

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