Background & aims

Activating mutations of PIK3CA occur in various tumour types, including human hepatocellular carcinoma. The mechanisms whereby PIK3CA contributes to hepatocarcinogenesis remain poorly understood.

Methods

PIK3CA mutants H1047R or E545K were hydrodynamically transfected, either alone or in combination with NRasV12 or c-Met genes, in the mouse liver.

Results

Overexpression of H1047R or E545K alone was able to induce AKT/mTOR signalling in the mouse liver, leading to hepatic steatosis. However, none of the mice developed liver tumours over long term. In contrast, H1047R or E545K cooperated with NRasV12 or c-Met to rapidly induce liver tumour formation in mice. At the molecular level, all the tumour nodules displayed activation of AKT/mTOR and Ras/MAPK cascades. Ablation of AKT2 significantly inhibited hepatic steatosis induced by H1047R or E545K and carcinogenesis induced by H1047R/c-Met or E545K/c-Met. Furthermore, tumourigenesis induced by H1047R/c-Met was abolished in conditional Raptor knockout mice.

Conclusions

Both H1047R and E545K are able to activate the AKT/mTOR pathway. An intact AKT2/mTOR complex 1 cascade is required for tumourigenesis induced by H1047R/c-Met or E545K/c-Met in the liver.

Activation of the PI3K and Yes-associated protein (Yap) signaling pathways has been independently reported in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the oncogenic interactions between these two cascades in hepatocarcinogenesis remain undetermined. To assess the consequences of the crosstalk between the PI3K and Yap pathways along liver carcinogenesis, we generated a mouse model characterized by combined overexpression of activated mutant forms of PIK3CA (PIK3CAH1047R) and Yap (YapS127A) in the mouse liver using hydrodynamic transfection (PIK3CA/Yap). In addition, suppression of PI3K and Yap pathways was conducted in human HCC and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cell lines. We found that concomitant activation of PI3K and Yap pathways triggered rapid liver tumor development in mice. Histologically, tumors were pure HCC, CCA, or mixed HCC/CCA. At the molecular level, PIK3CA/Yap tumors were characterized by activation of the mTORC1/2, ERK/MAPK, and Notch pathways. Simultaneous activation of PI3K and Yap pathways frequently occurred in human liver tumor specimens and their combined suppression was highly detrimental for the growth of HCC and CCA cell lines. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the oncogenic cooperation between PI3K and Yap pathways along liver carcinogenesis. The PIK3CA/Yap mouse represents an important preclinical liver tumor model for the development of novel therapeutics against this malignancy.