Although 3-phosphoinositide–dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) has been predominately linked to the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)–AKT pathway, it may also evoke additional signaling outputs to promote tumorigenesis. Here, we report that PDK1 directly induces phosphorylation of Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), which in turn induces MYC phosphorylation and protein accumulation. We show that PDK1–PLK1–MYC signaling is critical for cancer cell growth and survival, and small-molecule inhibition of PDK1/PLK1 provides an effective approach for therapeutic targeting of MYC dependency. Intriguingly, PDK1–PLK1–MYC signaling induces an embryonic stem cell–like gene signature associated with aggressive tumor behaviors and is a robust signaling axis driving cancer stem cell (CSC) self-renewal. Finally, we show that a PLK1 inhibitor synergizes with an mTOR inhibitor to induce synergistic antitumor effects in colorectal cancer by antagonizing compensatory MYC induction. These findings identify a novel pathway in human cancer and CSC activation and provide a therapeutic strategy for targeting MYC-associated tumorigenesis and therapeutic resistance.

Significance: This work identifies PDK1–PLK1–MYC signaling as a new oncogenic pathway driving oncogenic transformation and CSC self-renewal. Targeted inhibition of PDK1/PLK1 is robust in targeting MYC dependency in cancer cells. Thus, our findings provide important insights into cancer and CSC biology and have significant therapeutic implications. Cancer Discov; 3(10); 1156–71. ©2013 AACR.

See related commentary by Cunningham and Ruggero, p. 1099

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1083