Off-Target Effects of c-MET Inhibitors on Thyroid Cancer Cells

Aberrantly activated c-MET signaling occurs in several cancers, promoting the development of c-MET inhibitors. In this study, we found that eight of 8 thyroid cancer cell lines (including six anaplastic thyroid cell lines) have prominent expression of c-MET protein. Fifty percent of the thyroid cancer cell lines (four of 8) were growth-inhibited by two small molecule c-MET inhibitors (Tivantinib and Crizotinib), associated with apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest. However, Crizotinib did not inhibit 50% proliferation of thyroid cancer cells (SW1736 and TL3) at a concentration at which the drug completely inhibited ligand-stimulated c-MET phosphorylation. On the other hand, Tivantinib was less potent than Crizotinib at inhibiting c-MET phosphorylation, but was more potent than Crizotinib at decreasing cell growth. Suppressing c-MET protein expression and phosphorylation using siRNA targeting c-MET did not induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Taken together, Tivantinib and Crizotinib have off target(s) activity, contributing to their anti-tumor activity. In vivo study showed that Crizotinib markedly inhibited the growth of thyroid cancer cells (SW1736) in immunodeficient mice. In summary, c-MET inhibitors (Tivantinib and Crizotinib) suppress the growth of aggressive thyroid cancer cells, and this potential therapeutic benefit results from their non-MET-targeting effects.