Modeling Heterogeneity of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Uncovers a Novel Combinatorial Treatment Overcoming Primary Drug Resistance

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive breast cancer subtype characterized by a remarkable molecular heterogeneity. Currently, there are no effective druggable targets and advanced preclinical models of the human disease. Here, a unique mouse model (MMTV-R26(Met) mice) of mammary tumors driven by a subtle increase in the expression of the wild-type MET receptor is generated. MMTV-R26(Met) mice develop spontaneous, exclusive TNBC tumors, recapitulating primary resistance to treatment of patients. Proteomic profiling of MMTV-R26(Met) tumors and machine learning approach show that the model faithfully recapitulates intertumoral heterogeneity of human TNBC. Further signaling network analysis highlights potential druggable targets, of which cotargeting of WEE1 and BCL-XL synergistically kills TNBC cells and efficiently induces tumor regression. Mechanistically, BCL-XL inhibition exacerbates the dependency of TNBC cells on WEE1 function, leading to Histone H3 and phosphoS(33)RPA32 upregulation, RRM2 downregulation, cell cycle perturbation, mitotic catastrophe, and apoptosis. This study introduces a unique, powerful mouse model for studying TNBC formation and evolution, its heterogeneity, and for identifying efficient therapeutic targets.

Automated summary

A unique mouse model of TNBC has been developed, faithfully recapitulating the intertumoral heterogeneity of human TNBC tumors. Targeting both WEE1 and BCL-XL synergistically kills TNBC cells and efficiently induces tumor regression, providing potential therapeutic targets for TNBC treatment.