1. Academic Validation
  2. Autophagy supports PDGFRA-dependent brain tumor development by enhancing oncogenic signaling

Autophagy supports PDGFRA-dependent brain tumor development by enhancing oncogenic signaling

  • Dev Cell. 2023 Dec 8:S1534-5807(23)00621-4. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.11.023.
Joanne E Simpson 1 Morwenna T Muir 1 Martin Lee 1 Catherine Naughton 2 Nick Gilbert 2 Steven M Pollard 3 Noor Gammoh 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XR, UK.
  • 2 MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK.
  • 3 Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XR, UK; Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK.
  • 4 Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XR, UK. Electronic address: noor.gammoh@ed.ac.uk.
Abstract

Autophagy is a conserved cellular degradation process. While autophagy-related proteins were shown to influence the signaling and trafficking of some Receptor Tyrosine Kinases, the relevance of this during Cancer development is unclear. Here, we identify a role for Autophagy in regulating platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) signaling and levels. We find that PDGFRA can be targeted for autophagic degradation through the activity of the Autophagy cargo receptor p62. As a result, short-term Autophagy inhibition leads to elevated levels of PDGFRA but an unexpected defect in PDGFA-mediated signaling due to perturbed receptor trafficking. Defective PDGFRA signaling led to its reduced levels during prolonged Autophagy inhibition, suggesting a mechanism of adaptation. Importantly, PDGFA-driven gliomagenesis in mice was disrupted when Autophagy was inhibited in a manner dependent on PTEN status, thus highlighting a genotype-specific role for Autophagy during tumorigenesis. In summary, our data provide a mechanism by which cells require Autophagy to drive tumor formation.

Keywords

PDGFRA; PTEN; RTK; autophagy; cancer; endocytosis; glioblastoma; signaling.

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