RASH3D19 mediates RAS activation through a positive feedback loop in KRAS-mutant cancer

  • Warapen Treekitkarnmongkol
  • , Hiroshi Katayama*
  • , Deivendran Sankaran
  • , Mei Chee Tai
  • , Sanchita Rauth
  • , Hanxiao Chen
  • , Tristian Nguyen
  • , Kieko Hara
  • , Fredrik I. Thege
  • , Moorthy P. Ponnusamy
  • , Surinder K. Batra
  • , Huamin Wang
  • , Ignacio I. Wistuba
  • , Thomas D. Schmittgen
  • , John V. Heymach
  • , Scott Kopetz
  • , Tony Hu
  • , Wantong Yao
  • , Anirban Maitra
  • , Subrata Sen*
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Therapeutic targeting of mutant KRAS pathways driving cancers is being actively investigated to identify feedback mechanisms responsible for the development of adaptive resistance to mutant KRAS inhibitors undergoing clinical trials. Here we report RASH3D19 as a mediator of RAS pathway activation through a positive feedback loop involving the KRAS–microRNA signalling axis. KRAS-induced miR-222 represses ETS1 expression and downstream transactivation of miR-301a leading to elevation of its target RASH3D19. RASH3D19 facilitates activation of RAS pathways by promoting dimerization and interaction of EGFR with the SOS2, GRB2, SHP2 and GAB1 complex. Genetic deletion of RASH3D19 in mutant KRAS-expressing cancer cells exhibits growth retardation in vitro, in vivo and sensitized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and colorectal cancer cells, organoids and xenografts to mutant KRAS inhibitors, suppressing feedback reactivation of RAS pathways. Therapeutic targeting of RASH3D19 is expected to lead to tumour debulking and alleviating resistance to KRAS inhibitors in mutant KRAS-expressing cancers.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)197–206
JournalNature Cell Biology
Volume28
Early online date1 Dec 2025
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2026
Externally publishedYes

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