Targeting SHP2 sensitizes differentiated thyroid carcinoma to the MEK inhibitor

Pharmacologic targeting of components of the MAPK/ERK pathway in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is often limited due to the development of adaptive resistance. However, the detailed mechanism of MEK inhibitor (MEKi) resistance is not fully understood. Here, MEKi-resistant models were constructed successfully, in which multiple receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) signaling pathways and Src-homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase 2 (SHP2) were activated in MEKi-resistant cells. Given the physiological role of SHP2 as the downstream target of many RTKs, we first found blockade of SHP2 enhanced the sensitivity to MEKi in constructed MEKi-resistant models. Interestingly, we also found that compared with MEKi treatment alone, MEKi in combination with an SHP2 inhibitor markedly suppressed the reactivation of the MEK/ERK pathway; thus, the addition of the SHP2 inhibitor significantly improved the antitumor effects of MEKi. The synergistic suppression of DTC upon treatment with both inhibitors was further confirmed in xenograft models and transgenic models. Thus, our data suggest that RTKs activation leads to reactivation of the MAPK pathway and resistance to MEKi in DTC, which is reversed by SHP2 blockade. As a novel active inhibitor of SHP2, SHP099 in combination with MEKi is a promising therapeutic approach for advanced DTC and MEKi-resistant one.