Cellular adaptation to cancer therapy along a resistance continuum

• Published in: Nature (London) 2024-07, Vol.631 (8022), p.876-883
• Main Authors: França, Gustavo S., Baron, Maayan, King, Benjamin R., Bossowski, Jozef P., Bjornberg, Alicia, Pour, Maayan, Rao, Anjali, Patel, Ayushi S., Misirlioglu, Selim, Barkley, Dalia, Tang, Kwan Ho, Dolgalev, Igor, Liberman, Deborah A., Avital, Gal, Kuperwaser, Felicia, Chiodin, Marta, Levine, Douglas A., Papagiannakopoulos, Thales, Marusyk, Andriy, Lionnet, Timothée, Yanai, Itai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 38/1; 38/39; 45/47; 631/114/2114; 631/181/2475; 631/208/199; 631/67/1059/2326; 64/60; Adaptation; Adaptation, Physiological - drug effects; Adaptation, Physiological - genetics; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Plasticity - drug effects; Cell Plasticity - genetics; Cells; Cellular Reprogramming - drug effects; Cellular Reprogramming - genetics; Drug dosages; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm - drug effects; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm - genetics; Epigenesis, Genetic; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition - genetics; Female; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic - genetics; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Hypoxia; Melanoma; Metabolism; Mice; multidisciplinary; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Neoplasms - genetics; Neoplasms - pathology; Ovarian cancer; Phenotype; Phenotypic plasticity; Plastic foam; Plastic properties; Plasticity; Precision medicine; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Therapeutic applications
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07690-9

Advancements in precision oncology over the past decades have led to new therapeutic interventions, but the efficacy of such treatments is generally limited by an adaptive process that fosters drug resistance 1 . In addition to genetic mutations 2 , recent research has identified a role for non-genetic plasticity in transient drug tolerance 3 and the acquisition of stable resistance 4 , 5 . However, the dynamics of cell-state transitions that occur in the adaptation to cancer therapies remain unknown and require a systems-level longitudinal framework. Here we demonstrate that resistance develops through trajectories of cell-state transitions accompanied by a progressive increase in cell fitness, which we denote as the ‘resistance continuum’. This cellular adaptation involves a stepwise assembly of gene expression programmes and epigenetically reinforced cell states underpinned by phenotypic plasticity, adaptation to stress and metabolic reprogramming. Our results support the notion that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or stemness programmes—often considered a proxy for phenotypic plasticity—enable adaptation, rather than a full resistance mechanism. Through systematic genetic perturbations, we identify the acquisition of metabolic dependencies, exposing vulnerabilities that can potentially be exploited therapeutically. The concept of the resistance continuum highlights the dynamic nature of cellular adaptation and calls for complementary therapies directed at the mechanisms underlying adaptive cell-state transitions. Tumour cells adapt to anticancer drug treatments by a series of cellular state transitions, each inducing distinct gene expression programmes and leading to increased drug resistance.