Casein kinase 1α-dependent feedback loop controls autophagy in RAS-driven cancers

Activating mutations in the RAS oncogene are common in cancer but are difficult to therapeutically target. RAS activation promotes autophagy, a highly regulated catabolic process that metabolically buffers cells in response to diverse stresses. Here we report that casein kinase 1 alpha (CK1 alpha), a ubiquitously expressed serine/threonine kinase, is a key negative regulator of oncogenic RAS-induced autophagy. Depletion or pharmacologic inhibition of CK1 alpha enhanced autophagic flux in oncogenic RAS-driven human fibroblasts and multiple cancer cell lines. FOXO3A, a master longevity mediator that transcriptionally regulates diverse autophagy genes, was a critical target of CK1 alpha, as depletion of CK1 alpha reduced levels of phosphorylated FOXO3A and increased expression of FOXO3A-responsive genes. Oncogenic RAS increased CK1 alpha protein abundance via activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. In turn, elevated levels of CK1 alpha increased phosphorylation of nuclear FOXO3A, thereby inhibiting transactivation of genes critical for RAS-induced autophagy. In both RAS-driven cancer cells and murine xenograft models, pharmacologic CK1 alpha inactivation synergized with lysosomotropic agents to inhibit growth and promote tumor cell death. Together, our results identify a kinase feedback loop that influences RAS-dependent autophagy and suggest that targeting CK1 alpha-regulated autophagy offers a potential therapeutic opportunity to treat oncogenic RAS-driven cancers.