VEGFR2 blockade overcomes acquired KRAS G12D inhibitor resistance driven by PI3Kγ activation [scRNA-Seq]

Here, we have generated nine human gastrointestinal cancer models, including three patient-derived organoids (PDOs), with acquired resistance to the KRAS G12D-selective inhibitor MRTX1133. Using single-cell RNA sequencing analysis, we identified the enrichment of angiogenesis, hypoxia, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signatures in the resistant PDO relative to the parental counterpart. Across all resistant models, VEGFA expression and VEGFR2 phosphorylation were uniformly elevated, which were driven by AKT activation and SP1 nuclear translocation. Mechanistic investigations uncovered increased PI3Kγ activity in MRTX1133-resistant models via KRAS/HRAS overexpression and complex formation of KRAS-p110γ with p101. This leads to the formation of an autocrine VEGFA-VEGFR2 signaling loop and EMT induction. Therapeutically, the disruption of VEGFA-VEGFR2 signaling restored MRTX1133 sensitivity and inhibited EMT. Furthermore, cancer-endothelial paracrine signaling amplified angiogenesis, hypoxia, and EMT signatures in cancer cells and simultaneously promoted endothelial cell proliferation, reinforcing an adaptive feedback mechanism. In MRTX1133-resistant tumor xenograft mouse models, a combination of anti-VEGFR2 therapy and MRTX1133 more effectively reduced tumor growth, angiogenesis, and proliferation markers than monotherapy without significant body weight change. These findings establish VEGFA-VEGFR2 signaling by PI3Kγ activation as a key driver of acquired resistance to KRAS G12D inhibition and provide a rationale for combining VEGFA-VEGFR2 inhibition with KRAS blockade in KRAS-mutant cancers.