Abstract
BACKGROUND: Medulloblastoma is an aggressive pediatric brain tumor that is associated with misactivation of the Hedgehog (HH) pathway. Our lab has shown that CDK6, a critical activator of the cell cycle, is a direct transcriptional target of oncogenic HH signaling, and that inhibiting CDK6 blocks the growth of HH-associated medulloblastoma in mice. A clinical trial exploring the efficacy of CDK6 inhibition in medulloblastoma patients is underway, but prior attempts to target the HH pathway in medulloblastoma have been encumbered by resistance to molecular monotherapy. Thus, we sought to identify mechanisms of resistance to CDK6 inhibition in HH-associated medulloblastoma. METHODS: We performed orthogonal CRISPR and CRISPR interference screens in HH-associated medulloblastoma cells treated with pharmacologic inhibitors of CDK6 in vitro, and RNA-sequencing of HH-associated medulloblastomas with genetic deletion of CDK6 in vivo. Mechanistic and functional validation of resistance pathways was performed using CRISPR interference, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, genetics, and pharmacology. Lipid quantification was carried out by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Our results reveal that decreased ribosomal protein expression underlies resistance to CDK6 inhibition in HH-associated medulloblastoma, leading to endoplasmic reticular (ER) stress and activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). We show that ER stress and the UPR increase the activity of enzymes producing Smoothened-activating sterol lipids that sustain oncogenic HH signaling in medulloblastoma despite CDK6 inhibition. These discoveries suggest that combination molecular therapy against CDK6 and HSD11ß2, an enzyme producing Smoothened-activating lipids, may be an effective treatment for HH-associated medulloblastoma. In support of this hypothesis, we demonstrate that concurrent genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of CDK6 and HSD11ß2 additively blocks the growth of multiple models of HH-associated medulloblastoma in mice. CONCLUSIONS: Smoothened-activating lipid biosynthesis underlies resistance to CDK6 inhibition in HH-associated medulloblastoma, revealing a novel combination therapy to treat the most common malignant brain tumor in children.