Phosphorous dysregulation induced by MEK small molecule inhibitors in the rat involves blockade of FGF-23 signaling in the kidney

Abstract

MEK, a kinase downstream of Ras and Raf oncogenes, constitutes a high priority target in oncology research. MEK small molecule inhibitors cause soft tissue mineralization in rats secondary to serum inorganic phosphorus (iP) elevation, but the molecular mechanism for this toxicity remains undetermined. We performed investigative studies with structurally distinct MEK inhibitors GEN-A and PD325901 (PD-901) in Sprague-Dawley rats. Our data support a mechanism that involves FGF-23 signal blockade in the rat kidney, causing transcriptional upregulation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1-alpha-hydroxylase (Cyp27b1), the rate-limiting enzyme in vitamin D activation, and downregulation of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 24-hydroxylase (Cyp24a1), the enzyme that initiates the degradation of the active form of vitamin D. These transcriptional changes increase serum vitamin D levels, which in turn drive the increase in serum iP, leading to soft tissue mineralization in the rat. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved.