CD271 (NGFR) is a
neurotrophin receptor that belongs to the
tumor necrosis receptor (TNFR) family. Upon
ligand binding,
CD271 can mediate either survival or cell death. Although the role of
CD271 as a marker of tumor-initiating cells is still a matter of debate, its role in
melanoma progression has been well documented. Moreover,
CD271 has been shown to be upregulated after exposure to both
chemotherapy and targeted
therapy. In this study, we demonstrate that activation of
CD271 by a short β-
amyloid-derived
peptide (Aβ(25-35)) in combination with either
chemotherapy or MAPK inhibitors induces apoptosis in 2D and 3D cultures of eight
melanoma cell lines. This combinatorial treatment significantly reduced
metastasis in a zebrafish xenograft model and led to significantly decreased
tumor volume in mice. Administration of Aβ(25-35) in ex vivo
tumors from
immunotherapy- and targeted
therapy-resistant patients significantly reduced proliferation of
melanoma cells, showing that activation of
CD271 can overcome drug resistance. Aβ(25-35) was specific to CD271-expressing cells and induced
CD271 cleavage and phosphorylation of JNK (pJNK). The direct
protein-
protein interaction of pJNK with
CD271 led to PARP1 cleavage, p53 and
caspase activation, and pJNK-dependent cell death. Aβ(25-35) also mediated mitochondrial
reactive oxygen species (mROS) accumulation, which induced
CD271 overexpression. Finally,
CD271 upregulation inhibited mROS production, revealing the presence of a negative feedback loop in mROS regulation. These results indicate that targeting
CD271 can activate cell death pathways to inhibit
melanoma progression and potentially overcome resistance to targeted
therapy. SIGNIFICANCE: The discovery of a means to specifically activate the
CD271 death domain reveals unknown pathways mediated by the receptor and highlights new treatment possibilities for
melanoma.