Abstract 937: Novel role of deubiquitylase USP13 in lineage plasticity and drug resistance of non-small cell lung cancer

Lineage plasticity, the ability of cells to transition from one defined cell type to another, has been proposed as a source of intertumoral heterogeneity and therapeutic resistance.However, molecular drivers and underlying mechanisms of lineage plasticity remain largely unknown. Here, we found a novel role of deubiquitylase USP13 in lineage transition of lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) using mouse model: Usp13-overexpressing (Usp13OE) ADC loses its characteristics while gaining SCC features are enhanced. Transcriptomic analysis showed that Usp13OE lung cancers were heterogeneous and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), hypoxia, and PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway were enriched. Furthermore, development disease pathways including neurological and gastrointestinal diseases were overrepresented in Usp13OE tumors. Notably, Usp13OE primary tumor cell lines showed higher drug resistance against first-line therapy. Collectively, our findings demonstrate the novel role of USP13 in lineage transition of lung cancer and suggest that targeting USP13 is a promising strategy for the further treatment of lung cancer patients. Citation Format: Juntae Kwon, Cecil Han. Novel role of deubiquitylase USP13 in lineage plasticity and drug resistance of non-small cell lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 937.