Multimodal profiling unveils a reversible basal-like breast cancer cell state resistant to AKT inhibition

The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is central to the control of cellular metabolism and cell growth. However, pharmacological inhibition of the pathway is not uniformly effective across cancer types, or even within a single tumour. In this study, we leverage oblique plane microscopy (OPM) of breast cancer organoids containing molecular biosensors and lineage tracing approaches to uncover a source of heterogeneity in response to AKT inhibition. We find that organoids expressing KRT14 , a marker of basal cells in the normal breast epithelium, are resistant to AKT inhibition. Furthermore, the master transcription factor of basal cell state, ΔNp63α, is sufficient to confer resistance to AKT kinase inhibition in human triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) organoids. Our studies indicate that cells can transition between cell states within four weeks. This property means that AKT inhibition only delays tumour growth, with fully resistant tumours rich in KRT14+ cells resulting. Thus, resistance to AKT inhibition in TNBC exploits a repertoire of cell states and switching mechanisms inherent to the biology of the breast.