RAB1A is a novel vulnerability in uveal melanoma revealed by dual inhibition of MNK1/2 and mTOR

Uveal melanoma (UM) is an eye cancer that is fatal upon metastasis to the liver. Most treatments trialed in UM fail to provide therapeutic benefit; thus, there is an urgent need for novel treatment strategies. The MAPK and PI3K signaling pathways, key molecular drivers found to be hyper-activated in UM, converge on the MNK1/2-eIF4E and mTORC1/2-4EBP axes. Here, we demonstrate that the pharmacologic inhibition of MNK1/2 in combination with an mTOR inhibitor impairs clonogenic outgrowth and UM cell invasion. Using proteomic analyses, we reveal that combined MNK1/2 and mTOR inhibition disrupts ER-to-Golgi protein vesicle trafficking mainly due to downregulated RAB1A expression, a master regulator of intracellular protein transport. We further uncover that the knockdown of RAB1A blocks liver metastasis, a result that is recapitulated by combined pharmacologic inhibition of MNK1/2 and mTOR. Finally, we show that RAB1A expression reshapes the surfaceome by increasing the abundance of plasma membrane proteins associated with poor overall survival in UM, highlighting its potential as a biomarker. This study identifies protein vesicle transport as an unrecognized vulnerability in UM and supports a mechanistic rationale for targeting MNK1/2 and mTOR in metastatic UM.