Abstract
The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is an important anti-cancer target in lymphoid cancers but has been understudied in solid tumors like lung cancer, although glucocorticoids are often given with chemotherapy regimens to mitigate side effects. Here, we identify a dexamethasone-GR mediated anti-cancer response in a subset of aggressive non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) that harbor Serine/Threonine Kinase 11 (STK11/LKB1) mutations. High tumor expression of carbamoyl phosphate synthase 1 (CPS1) was strongly linked to the presence of LKB1 mutations, was the best predictor of NSCLC dexamethasone (DEX) sensitivity (p < 10-16) but was not mechanistically involved in DEX sensitivity. Subcutaneous, orthotopic and metastatic NSCLC xenografts, biomarker-selected, STK11/LKB1 mutant patient derived xenografts, and genetically engineered mouse models with KRAS/LKB1 mutant lung adenocarcinomas all showed marked in vivo anti-tumor responses with the glucocorticoid dexamethasone as a single agent or in combination with cisplatin. Mechanistically, GR activation triggers G1/S cell cycle arrest in LKB1 mutant NSCLCs by inducing the expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, CDKN1C/p57(Kip2). All findings were confirmed with functional genomic experiments including CRISPR knockouts and exogenous expression. Importantly, DEX-GR mediated cell cycle arrest did not interfere with NSCLC radiotherapy, or platinum response in vitro or with platinum response in vivo. While DEX induced LKB1 mutant NSCLCs in vitro exhibit markers of cellular senescence and demonstrate impaired migration, in vivo DEX treatment of a patient derived xenograft (PDX) STK11/LKB1 mutant model resulted in expression of apoptosis markers. These findings identify a previously unknown GR mediated therapeutic vulnerability in STK11/LKB1 mutant NSCLCs caused by induction of p57(Kip2) expression with both STK11 mutation and high expression of CPS1 as precision medicine biomarkers of this vulnerability.