The spindle assembly checkpoint is a therapeutic vulnerability of CDK4/6 inhibitor-resistant ER+ breast cancer with mitotic aberrations

Sci Adv. 2022 Sep 9;8(36):eabq4293. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abq4293. Epub 2022 Sep 7.

Abstract

Inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6i) are standard first-line treatments for metastatic ER+ breast cancer. However, acquired resistance to CDK4/6i invariably develops, and the molecular phenotypes and exploitable vulnerabilities associated with resistance are not yet fully characterized. We developed a panel of CDK4/6i-resistant breast cancer cell lines and patient-derived organoids and demonstrate that a subset of resistant models accumulates mitotic segregation errors and micronuclei, displaying increased sensitivity to inhibitors of mitotic checkpoint regulators TTK and Aurora kinase A/B. RB1 loss, a well-recognized mechanism of CDK4/6i resistance, causes such mitotic defects and confers enhanced sensitivity to TTK inhibition. In these models, inhibition of TTK with CFI-402257 induces premature chromosome segregation, leading to excessive mitotic segregation errors, DNA damage, and cell death. These findings nominate the TTK inhibitor CFI-402257 as a therapeutic strategy for a defined subset of ER+ breast cancer patients who develop resistance to CDK4/6i.

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / genetics
  • M Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints*
  • Neoplasms*