The genetic duet of concurrent RASAL1 and PTEN alterations promotes cancer aggressiveness by cooperatively activating the PI3K–AKT pathway

Abstract

The significance of the prominent tumor suppressor gene for RAS protein activator‐like 1 (RASAL1) could be better understood by combined genetic, clinical, and functional studies. Here, we investigated the oncogenic and clinical impacts of genetic alterations of RASAL1, particularly when coexisting with genetic alterations of the gene for phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), in 9924 cancers of 33 types in the TCGA database. We found common concurrent genetic alterations of the two genes, which were cooperatively associated with activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)–AKT pathway, with cancer progression and mortality rates being 46.36% and 31.72% with concurrent gene alterations, versus 29.80% and 16.93% with neither gene alteration (HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.46–1.84 and 1.77, 95% CI 1.53–2.05), respectively. This was enhanced by additional tumor protein p53 (TP53) gene alterations, with cancer progression and mortality rates being 47.65% and 34.46% with coexisting RASAL1, PTEN, and TP53 alterations versus 25.30% and 13.11% with no alteration (HR 2.21, 95% CI 1.92–2.56 and 2.76, 95% CI 2.31–3.30), respectively. In the case of breast cancer, this genetic trio was associated with a triple‐negative risk of 68.75% versus 3.83% with no genetic alteration (RR 17.94, 95% CI 9.60–33.51), consistent with the aggressive nature of triple‐negative breast cancer. Mice with double knockouts of Rasal1 and Pten displayed robust Pi3k pathway activation, with the development of metastasizing malignancies, while single gene knockout resulted in only benign neoplasma. These results suggest that RASAL1, like PTEN, is a critical player in negatively regulating the PI3K–AKT pathway; defect in RASAL1 causes RAS activation, thus initiating the PI3K–AKT pathway signaling, which cannot terminate with concurrent PTEN defects. Thus, the unique concurrent RASAL1 and PTEN defects drive oncogenesis and cancer aggressiveness by cooperatively activating the PI3K–AKT pathway. This represents a robust genetic mechanism to promote human cancer.