Discovery Proteomics Analysis Determines That Driver Oncogenes Suppress Antiviral Defense Pathways Through Reduction in Interferon-β Autocrine Stimulation

Mol Cell Proteomics. 2022 Jul;21(7):100247. doi: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2022.100247. Epub 2022 May 18.

Abstract

Since the discovery of oncogenes, there has been tremendous interest to understand their mechanistic basis and to develop broadly actionable therapeutics. Some of the most frequently activated oncogenes driving diverse cancers are c-MYC, EGFR, HER2, AKT, KRAS, BRAF, and MEK. Using a reductionist approach, we explored how cellular proteomes are remodeled in isogenic cell lines engineered with or without these driver oncogenes. The most striking discovery for all oncogenic models was the systematic downregulation of scores of antiviral proteins regulated by type 1 interferon. These findings extended to cancer cell lines and patient-derived xenograft models of highly refractory pancreatic cancer and osteosarcoma driven by KRAS and MYC oncogenes. The oncogenes reduced basal expression of and autocrine stimulation by type 1 interferon causing remarkable convergence on common phenotypic and functional profiles. In particular, there was dramatically lower expression of dsRNA sensors including DDX58 (RIG-I) and OAS proteins, which resulted in attenuated functional responses when the oncogenic cells were treated with the dsRNA mimetic, polyI:C, and increased susceptibility to infection with an RNA virus shown using SARS-CoV-2. Our reductionist approach provides molecular and functional insights connected to immune evasion hallmarks in cancers and suggests therapeutic opportunities.

Keywords: AKT; BRAF; EGFR; HER2; KRAS; MEK; MYC; double-stranded RNA; interferon; oncogenes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiviral Restriction Factors
  • COVID-19* / immunology
  • Carcinogenesis
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Humans
  • Interferon-beta* / immunology
  • Oncogenes*
  • Proteomics*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / genetics
  • SARS-CoV-2

Substances

  • Antiviral Restriction Factors
  • Interferon-beta
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)