ALT Neuroblastoma Chemoresistance due to ATM Activation by Telomere Dysfunction is Reversible with the ATM Inhibitor AZD0156

Abstract Cancers overcome replicative immortality by activating either telomerase or an alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) mechanism. ALT occurs in ∼ 25% of high-risk neuroblastomas and relapse or progression in ALT neuroblastoma patients during or after front-line therapy is frequent and almost uniformly fatal. Temozolomide + irinotecan is commonly used as salvage therapy for neuroblastoma. Patient-derived cell-lines and xenografts established from relapsed ALT neuroblastoma patients demonstrated de novo resistance to temozolomide + irinotecan (as SN-38 in vitro, P <0.05 ) and in vivo (mouse event-free survival (EFS) P <0.0001) relative to telomerase-positive neuroblastomas. We observed that ALT neuroblastoma cells manifest constitutive ATM kinase activation due to spontaneous telomere dysfunction while telomerase- positive tumors lacked constitutive ATM activation or spontaneous telomere DNA damage. We demonstrated that induction of telomere dysfunction resulted in ATM activation that in turn conferred resistance to temozolomide + SN-38 (4.2 fold-change in IC50, P <0.001). ATM kinase shRNA knock-down or inhibition using a clinical-stage small molecule inhibitor (AZD0156) reversed resistance to temozolomide + irinotecan in ALT neuroblastoma cell-lines in vitro ( P <0.001) and in 4 ALT xenografts in vivo (EFS P <0.0001). AZD0156 showed modest to no enhancement of temozolomide + irinotecan activity in telomerase-positive neuroblastoma cell lines and xenografts. ATR inhibition using AZD6738 did not enhance temozolomide + SN-38 activity in ALT neuroblastoma cell lines. Thus, resistance to chemotherapy in ALT neuroblastoma occurs via ATM kinase activation and was reversed with the ATM inhibitor AZD0156. Combining AZD0156 with temozolomide + irinotecan warrants clinical testing in neuroblastoma. One Statement Summary ATM activation at telomeres confers resistance to DNA damaging chemotherapy in ALT neuroblastoma that was reversed with ATM knockdown or inhibition.