YAP1 status defines two intrinsic subtypes of LCNEC with distinct molecular features and therapeutic vulnerabilities

Abstract

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is a high-grade neuroendocrine malignancy that, like the more common small cell lung cancer (SCLC), is associated with an absence of druggable oncogenic driver mutations, a clinically aggressive disease course, and dismal prognosis. In contrast to SCLC, however, there is little evidence to guide optimal treatment strategies which are, instead, often adapted from SCLC and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) approaches. While there have been some efforts to describe the molecular landscape of LCNEC, to date there are few links between distinct biologic phenotypes of LCNEC and therapeutic vulnerabilities. Here, we demonstrate that the presence or absence of the transcription factor YAP1 distinguishes two roughly equal subsets of LCNEC. The YAP1-high subset is mesenchymal and inflamed and characterized, alongside TP53 mutations, by co-occurring alterations in CDKN2A/B and SMARCA4. Therapeutically, the YAP1-high subset demonstrates vulnerability to MEK and AXL targeting strategies, including a novel preclinical AXL CAR-T cell, as well as predicted vulnerability to SMARCA2 degraders and CDK4/6 inhibitors. Meanwhile, the YAP1-low subset is epithelial and immune-cold and more commonly features TP53 and RB1 co-mutations, similar to those observed in pure SCLC. Notably, the YAP1-low subset is also characterized by expression of SCLC subtype-defining transcription factors -especially ASCL1 and NEUROD1 - and, as expected given its transcriptional similarities to SCLC, exhibits putative vulnerabilities reminiscent of SCLC, including Delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3) and CD56 targeting, as with novel preclinical DLL3 and CD56 CAR T-cells, and DNA damage repair (DDR) inhibition. These findings highlight the potential for YAP1 to guide the first personalized treatment strategies for LCNEC.