1
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Saxena S, Nabel CS, Seay TW, Patel PS, Kawale AS, Crosby CR, Tigro H, Oh E, Vander Heiden MG, Hata AN, Suo Z, Zou L. Unprocessed genomic uracil as a source of DNA replication stress in cancer cells. Mol Cell 2024; 84:2036-2052.e7. [PMID: 38688279 PMCID: PMC11162326 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Alterations of bases in DNA constitute a major source of genomic instability. It is believed that base alterations trigger base excision repair (BER), generating DNA repair intermediates interfering with DNA replication. Here, we show that genomic uracil, a common type of base alteration, induces DNA replication stress (RS) without being processed by BER. In the absence of uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG), genomic uracil accumulates to high levels, DNA replication forks slow down, and PrimPol-mediated repriming is enhanced, generating single-stranded gaps in nascent DNA. ATR inhibition in UNG-deficient cells blocks the repair of uracil-induced gaps, increasing replication fork collapse and cell death. Notably, a subset of cancer cells upregulates UNG2 to suppress genomic uracil and limit RS, and these cancer cells are hypersensitive to co-treatment with ATR inhibitors and drugs increasing genomic uracil. These results reveal unprocessed genomic uracil as an unexpected source of RS and a targetable vulnerability of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sneha Saxena
- Mass General Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Christopher S Nabel
- Mass General Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Turner W Seay
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Parasvi S Patel
- Mass General Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Ajinkya S Kawale
- Mass General Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Caroline R Crosby
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Helene Tigro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Eugene Oh
- Mass General Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Matthew G Vander Heiden
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aaron N Hata
- Mass General Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zucai Suo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Lee Zou
- Mass General Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
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2
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Lee Y, Vousden KH, Hennequart M. Cycling back to folate metabolism in cancer. NATURE CANCER 2024; 5:701-715. [PMID: 38698089 PMCID: PMC7616045 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-024-00739-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Metabolic changes contribute to cancer initiation and progression through effects on cancer cells, the tumor microenvironment and whole-body metabolism. Alterations in serine metabolism and the control of one-carbon cycles have emerged as critical for the development of many tumor types. In this Review, we focus on the mitochondrial folate cycle. We discuss recent evidence that, in addition to supporting nucleotide synthesis, mitochondrial folate metabolism also contributes to metastasis through support of antioxidant defense, mitochondrial protein synthesis and the overflow of excess formate. These observations offer potential therapeutic opportunities, including the modulation of formate metabolism through dietary interventions and the use of circulating folate cycle metabolites as biomarkers for cancer detection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marc Hennequart
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), Molecular Physiology Unit (URPHYM), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
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3
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Lumeau A, Bery N, Francès A, Gayral M, Labrousse G, Ribeyre C, Lopez C, Nevot A, El Kaoutari A, Hanoun N, Sarot E, Perrier M, Pont F, Cerapio JP, Fournié JJ, Lopez F, Madrid-Mencia M, Pancaldi V, Pillaire MJ, Bergoglio V, Torrisani J, Dusetti N, Hoffmann JS, Buscail L, Lutzmann M, Cordelier P. Cytidine Deaminase Resolves Replicative Stress and Protects Pancreatic Cancer from DNA-Targeting Drugs. Cancer Res 2024; 84:1013-1028. [PMID: 38294491 PMCID: PMC10982645 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-22-3219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Cytidine deaminase (CDA) functions in the pyrimidine salvage pathway for DNA and RNA syntheses and has been shown to protect cancer cells from deoxycytidine-based chemotherapies. In this study, we observed that CDA was overexpressed in pancreatic adenocarcinoma from patients at baseline and was essential for experimental tumor growth. Mechanistic investigations revealed that CDA localized to replication forks where it increased replication speed, improved replication fork restart efficiency, reduced endogenous replication stress, minimized DNA breaks, and regulated genetic stability during DNA replication. In cellular pancreatic cancer models, high CDA expression correlated with resistance to DNA-damaging agents. Silencing CDA in patient-derived primary cultures in vitro and in orthotopic xenografts in vivo increased replication stress and sensitized pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells to oxaliplatin. This study sheds light on the role of CDA in pancreatic adenocarcinoma, offering insights into how this tumor type modulates replication stress. These findings suggest that CDA expression could potentially predict therapeutic efficacy and that targeting CDA induces intolerable levels of replication stress in cancer cells, particularly when combined with DNA-targeted therapies. SIGNIFICANCE Cytidine deaminase reduces replication stress and regulates DNA replication to confer resistance to DNA-damaging drugs in pancreatic cancer, unveiling a molecular vulnerability that could enhance treatment response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Lumeau
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Nicolas Bery
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Audrey Francès
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Marion Gayral
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Guillaume Labrousse
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Cyril Ribeyre
- Institut de Génétique Humaine, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Charlene Lopez
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Adele Nevot
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Abdessamad El Kaoutari
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille, CRCM, Inserm, CNRS, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Université Aix-Marseille, Marseille, France
| | - Naima Hanoun
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Emeline Sarot
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Marion Perrier
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Frederic Pont
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Juan-Pablo Cerapio
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Fournié
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Frederic Lopez
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Miguel Madrid-Mencia
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Vera Pancaldi
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Jerome Torrisani
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Nelson Dusetti
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille, CRCM, Inserm, CNRS, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Université Aix-Marseille, Marseille, France
| | - Jean-Sebastien Hoffmann
- Laboratoire d'Excellence Toulouse Cancer (TOUCAN), Laboratoire de pathologie, Institut Universitaire du Cancer-Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Louis Buscail
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- Service de gastroentérologie et d'hépatologie, CHU Rangueil, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Malik Lutzmann
- Institut de Génétique Humaine, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Pierre Cordelier
- Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Toulouse, France
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4
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Marttila P, Bonagas N, Chalkiadaki C, Stigsdotter H, Schelzig K, Shen J, Farhat CM, Hondema A, Albers J, Wiita E, Rasti A, Warpman Berglund U, Slipicevic A, Mortusewicz O, Helleday T. The one-carbon metabolic enzyme MTHFD2 promotes resection and homologous recombination after ionizing radiation. Mol Oncol 2024. [PMID: 38533616 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The one-carbon metabolism enzyme bifunctional methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase/cyclohydrolase 2 (MTHFD2) is among the most overexpressed proteins across tumors and is widely recognized as a promising anticancer target. While MTHFD2 is mainly described as a mitochondrial protein, a new nuclear function is emerging. Here, we observe that nuclear MTHFD2 protein levels and association with chromatin increase following ionizing radiation (IR) in an ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)- and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK)-dependent manner. Furthermore, repair of IR-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is delayed upon MTHFD2 knockdown, suggesting a role for MTHFD2 in DSB repair. In support of this, we observe impaired recruitment of replication protein A (RPA), reduced resection, decreased IR-induced DNA repair protein RAD51 homolog 1 (RAD51) levels and impaired homologous recombination (HR) activity in MTHFD2-depleted cells following IR. In conclusion, we identify a key role for MTHFD2 in HR repair and describe an interdependency between MTHFD2 and HR proficiency that could potentially be exploited for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Marttila
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Nadilly Bonagas
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Christina Chalkiadaki
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Hannah Stigsdotter
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Korbinian Schelzig
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Jianyu Shen
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Crystal M Farhat
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Amber Hondema
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Julian Albers
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Elisée Wiita
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Azita Rasti
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Ulrika Warpman Berglund
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Ana Slipicevic
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- One-carbon Therapeutics AB, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Oliver Mortusewicz
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Thomas Helleday
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- Weston Park Cancer Centre, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, UK
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5
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Zhang X, Wang Z. Targeting SHMTs and MTHFDs in cancer: attractive opportunity for anti-tumor strategy. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1335785. [PMID: 38444944 PMCID: PMC10912643 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1335785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
One-carbon metabolism is a universal metabolic process that mediates the transfer of one-carbon units for purine and thymidine synthesis. One-carbon metabolism has been found to be dysregulated in various cancer types due to its role in production of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, epigenetic program, and redox homeostasis. One-carbon metabolism is composed a network of one-carbon metabolic enzymes. Disturbing the expression and enzymatic activity of these one-carbon metabolic enzymes could lead to fluctuations of metabolites in the tumor microenvironment. Serine hydroxymethyltransferases (SHMTs) and methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenases (MTHFDs) are gradually recognized as important one-carbon metabolic enzymes for regulating tumor initiation and development, representing potential therapeutic targets for anti-tumor strategies. In the review, we primarily focused on the role of SHMTs and MTHFDs in cancer. Several inhibitors targeting MTHFDs and SHMTs have exert its potential to decrease tumor burden and inhibit tumor proliferation, highlighting the potential of targeting one-carbon metabolic enzymes for anti-cancer strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhang
- The VIP Department, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Zhenhua Wang
- Department of Physiology, School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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6
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Ramos L, Henriksson M, Helleday T, Green AC. Targeting MTHFD2 to Exploit Cancer-Specific Metabolism and the DNA Damage Response. Cancer Res 2024; 84:9-16. [PMID: 37922465 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-1290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/05/2023]
Abstract
The one-carbon folate enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase/cyclohydrolase 2 (MTHFD2) is a promising therapeutic target in cancer. MTHFD2 is upregulated across numerous cancer types, promotes growth and metastasis of cancer, and correlates with poorer survival. Recent studies have developed small-molecule inhibitors to the isozymes MTHFD2 and MTHFD1 that show promise as anticancer agents through different mechanisms. This review discusses the current understanding of the function of MTHFD2 in cancer and the status of inhibitors for treating MTHFD2-overexpressing cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Ramos
- Weston Park Cancer Centre and Division of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health, Faculty of Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Vancouver Prostate Centre and Department of Experimental Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Martin Henriksson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Thomas Helleday
- Weston Park Cancer Centre and Division of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health, Faculty of Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Alanna C Green
- Weston Park Cancer Centre and Division of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health, Faculty of Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Mellanby Centre for Bone Research, University of Sheffield Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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7
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Dembitz V, Durko J, Campos J, James SC, Lawson H, Kranc KR, Gallipoli P. Immunodeficient NBSGW mouse strain allows chemotherapy modeling in AML patient-derived xenografts. Hemasphere 2024; 8:e28. [PMID: 38434525 PMCID: PMC10878184 DOI: 10.1002/hem3.28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Vilma Dembitz
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute Queen Mary University of London London UK
- Present address: Department of Physiology and Croatian Institute for Brain Research University of Zagreb School of Medicine Zagreb Croatia
| | - Jozef Durko
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute Queen Mary University of London London UK
| | - Joana Campos
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute Queen Mary University of London London UK
| | - Sophie C James
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute Queen Mary University of London London UK
| | - Hannah Lawson
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute Queen Mary University of London London UK
| | - Kamil R Kranc
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute Queen Mary University of London London UK
- The Institute of Cancer Research London UK
| | - Paolo Gallipoli
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute Queen Mary University of London London UK
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8
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Rather GM. Folate trapping is lethal to cancer cells. Chem Biol Drug Des 2023; 102:1588-1591. [PMID: 37620162 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.14329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Regulation of formate flux by a key folate enzyme, MTHFD2 (methylene tetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2) in cancer cells remains poorly understood. Green et al. (Nature Metabolism, 2023; 5: 642-659) showed an interesting phenomenon of "folate trapping" toxicity leads to cancer cell kill using a potent inhibitor (TH9619) against the dehydrogenase and cyclohydrolase (DC) activities of cytosolic methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 1 (cMTHFD1) and nuclear methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 (nMTHFD2), but not the mitochondrial MTHFD2 (mTHFD2). But, mMTHFD2 is required for formate flow to cytosol which leads to the trapping of 10-formyl tetrahydrofolate and causes toxicity by TH9619 treatment, to kill cancer cells expressing mMTHFD2. This article opens new avenues to be evaluated for therapeutic benefits of cancer patients where MTHFD2 shows overexpression viz-a-viz breast, prostate, colorectal, acute myeloid leukemia, and other cancer types.
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9
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Petrova B, Maynard AG, Wang P, Kanarek N. Regulatory mechanisms of one-carbon metabolism enzymes. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105457. [PMID: 37949226 PMCID: PMC10758965 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
One-carbon metabolism is a central metabolic pathway critical for the biosynthesis of several amino acids, methyl group donors, and nucleotides. The pathway mostly relies on the transfer of a carbon unit from the amino acid serine, through the cofactor folate (in its several forms), and to the ultimate carbon acceptors that include nucleotides and methyl groups used for methylation of proteins, RNA, and DNA. Nucleotides are required for DNA replication, DNA repair, gene expression, and protein translation, through ribosomal RNA. Therefore, the one-carbon metabolism pathway is essential for cell growth and function in all cells, but is specifically important for rapidly proliferating cells. The regulation of one-carbon metabolism is a critical aspect of the normal and pathological function of the pathway, such as in cancer, where hijacking these regulatory mechanisms feeds an increased need for nucleotides. One-carbon metabolism is regulated at several levels: via gene expression, posttranslational modification, subcellular compartmentalization, allosteric inhibition, and feedback regulation. In this review, we aim to inform the readers of relevant one-carbon metabolism regulation mechanisms and to bring forward the need to further study this aspect of one-carbon metabolism. The review aims to integrate two major aspects of cancer metabolism-signaling downstream of nutrient sensing and one-carbon metabolism, because while each of these is critical for the proliferation of cancerous cells, their integration is critical for comprehensive understating of cellular metabolism in transformed cells and can lead to clinically relevant insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boryana Petrova
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Adam G Maynard
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peng Wang
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Naama Kanarek
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
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10
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Cappello A, Tosetti G, Smirnov A, Ganini C, Yang X, Shi Y, Wang Y, Melino G, Bernassola F, Candi E. p63 orchestrates serine and one carbon metabolism enzymes expression in head and neck cancer. Biol Direct 2023; 18:73. [PMID: 37946250 PMCID: PMC10636826 DOI: 10.1186/s13062-023-00426-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by high proliferation and limited differentiation. The altered expression of the p53 family members, and specifically of p63, represents a pivotal event in the pathogenesis of HNSCC. Physiologically, p63 affects metabolism through the direct transactivation of the enzyme hexokinase 2, and subsequently controls the proliferation of epithelial cells; nonetheless, its role in cancer metabolism is still largely unclear. The high energetic demand of cancer and the consequent needs of a metabolic reshape, also involve the serine and glycine catabolic and anabolic pathways, including the one carbon metabolism (OCM), to produce energetic compounds (purines) and to maintain cellular homeostasis (glutathione and S-adenosylmethionine). RESULTS The involvement in serine/glycine starvation by other p53 family members has been reported, including HNSCC. Here, we show that in HNSCC p63 controls the expression of the enzymes regulating the serine biosynthesis and one carbon metabolism. p63 binds the promoter region of genes involved in the serine biosynthesis as well as in the one carbon metabolism. p63 silencing in a HNSCC cell line affects the mRNA and protein levels of these selected enzymes. Moreover, the higher expression of TP63 and its target enzymes, negatively impacts on the overall survival of HNSCC patients. CONCLUSION These data indicate a direct role of p63 in the metabolic regulation of HNSCC with significant clinical effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Cappello
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133, Rome, Italy
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70121, Bari, Italy
| | - Giulia Tosetti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Artem Smirnov
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133, Rome, Italy
- Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, IDI-IRCCS, 00167, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Ganini
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70121, Bari, Italy
- Division of Medical Oncology, A.O.U. Policlinico di Bari, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Xue Yang
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133, Rome, Italy
- Department of Tumor Immunology and Gene Therapy Center, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200438, China
- National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, 201805, China
| | - Yufang Shi
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University and State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Institute for Translational Medicine, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Ying Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Gerry Melino
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Bernassola
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Eleonora Candi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133, Rome, Italy.
- Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, IDI-IRCCS, 00167, Rome, Italy.
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11
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Tombari C, Zannini A, Bertolio R, Pedretti S, Audano M, Triboli L, Cancila V, Vacca D, Caputo M, Donzelli S, Segatto I, Vodret S, Piazza S, Rustighi A, Mantovani F, Belletti B, Baldassarre G, Blandino G, Tripodo C, Bicciato S, Mitro N, Del Sal G. Mutant p53 sustains serine-glycine synthesis and essential amino acids intake promoting breast cancer growth. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6777. [PMID: 37880212 PMCID: PMC10600207 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42458-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Reprogramming of amino acid metabolism, sustained by oncogenic signaling, is crucial for cancer cell survival under nutrient limitation. Here we discovered that missense mutant p53 oncoproteins stimulate de novo serine/glycine synthesis and essential amino acids intake, promoting breast cancer growth. Mechanistically, mutant p53, unlike the wild-type counterpart, induces the expression of serine-synthesis-pathway enzymes and L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1)/CD98 heavy chain heterodimer. This effect is exacerbated by amino acid shortage, representing a mutant p53-dependent metabolic adaptive response. When cells suffer amino acids scarcity, mutant p53 protein is stabilized and induces metabolic alterations and an amino acid transcriptional program that sustain cancer cell proliferation. In patient-derived tumor organoids, pharmacological targeting of either serine-synthesis-pathway and LAT1-mediated transport synergizes with amino acid shortage in blunting mutant p53-dependent growth. These findings reveal vulnerabilities potentially exploitable for tackling breast tumors bearing missense TP53 mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Tombari
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Area Science Park-Padriciano, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Alessandro Zannini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Area Science Park-Padriciano, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Rebecca Bertolio
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Area Science Park-Padriciano, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Silvia Pedretti
- DiSFeB, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Audano
- DiSFeB, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Triboli
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Area Science Park-Padriciano, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Valeria Cancila
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Health Science, Human Pathology Section, School of Medicine, University of Palermo, 90133, Palermo, Italy
| | - Davide Vacca
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Health Science, Human Pathology Section, School of Medicine, University of Palermo, 90133, Palermo, Italy
| | - Manuel Caputo
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Area Science Park-Padriciano, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Sara Donzelli
- Translational Oncology Research Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Ilenia Segatto
- Unit of Molecular Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO), IRCCS, National Cancer Institute, 33081, Aviano, Italy
| | - Simone Vodret
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Area Science Park-Padriciano, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Silvano Piazza
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Area Science Park-Padriciano, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Alessandra Rustighi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Area Science Park-Padriciano, 34149, Trieste, Italy
| | - Fiamma Mantovani
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - Barbara Belletti
- Unit of Molecular Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO), IRCCS, National Cancer Institute, 33081, Aviano, Italy
| | - Gustavo Baldassarre
- Unit of Molecular Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO), IRCCS, National Cancer Institute, 33081, Aviano, Italy
| | - Giovanni Blandino
- Translational Oncology Research Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Tripodo
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Health Science, Human Pathology Section, School of Medicine, University of Palermo, 90133, Palermo, Italy
- IFOM ETS, the AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvio Bicciato
- Center for Genome Research, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Nico Mitro
- DiSFeB, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Department of Experimental Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Giannino Del Sal
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy.
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Area Science Park-Padriciano, 34149, Trieste, Italy.
- IFOM ETS, the AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy.
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12
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Tang H, Hou N. Whether MTHFD2 plays a new role: from anticancer targets to anti-inflammatory disease. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1257107. [PMID: 37936908 PMCID: PMC10625907 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1257107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hui Tang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- Stem Cell Clinical Institute, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Ning Hou
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
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13
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Wilder CS, Chiou J, Battenhouse A, Saha A, Chen Z, Kim E, Gadallah MI, Tiziani S, Georgiou G, Stone E, DiGiovanni J. Enzymatic depletion of l-Met using an engineered human enzyme as a novel therapeutic strategy for melanoma. Mol Carcinog 2023; 62:1531-1545. [PMID: 37378415 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Many cancers, including melanoma, have a higher requirement for l-methionine in comparison with noncancerous cells. In this study, we show that administration of an engineered human methionine-γ-lyase (hMGL) significantly reduced the survival of both human and mouse melanoma cells in vitro. A multiomics approach was utilized to identify global changes in gene expression and in metabolite levels with hMGL treatment in melanoma cells. There was considerable overlap in the perturbed pathways identified in the two data sets. Common pathways were flagged for further investigation to understand their mechanistic importance. In this regard, hMGL treatment induced S and G2 phase cell cycle arrest, decreased nucleotide levels, and increased DNA double-strand breaks suggesting an important role for replication stress in the mechanism of hMGL effects on melanoma cells. Further, hMGL treatment resulted in increased cellular reactive oxygen species levels and increased apoptosis as well as uncharged transfer RNA pathway upregulation. Finally, treatment with hMGL significantly inhibited the growth of both mouse and human melanoma cells in orthotopic tumor models in vivo. Overall, the results of this study provide a strong rationale for further mechanistic evaluation and clinical development of hMGL for the treatment of melanoma skin cancer and other cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly S Wilder
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Jennifer Chiou
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Anna Battenhouse
- Center for Biomedical Research Support, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Achinto Saha
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Zhao Chen
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Eunice Kim
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Mohamed I Gadallah
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Stefano Tiziani
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Department of Oncology, University of Texas Dell Medical School, LiveSTRONG Cancer Institutes, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - George Georgiou
- Department of Oncology, University of Texas Dell Medical School, LiveSTRONG Cancer Institutes, Austin, Texas, USA
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Everett Stone
- Department of Oncology, University of Texas Dell Medical School, LiveSTRONG Cancer Institutes, Austin, Texas, USA
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - John DiGiovanni
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Department of Oncology, University of Texas Dell Medical School, LiveSTRONG Cancer Institutes, Austin, Texas, USA
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Center for Molecular Carcinogenesis and Toxicology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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14
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Wang Y, Hongu T, Nishimura T, Takeuchi Y, Takano H, Daikoku T, Yao R, Gotoh N. Mitochondrial one-carbon metabolic enzyme MTHFD2 facilitates mammary gland development during pregnancy. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 674:183-189. [PMID: 37450958 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.06.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism is crucial for embryonic development and tumorigenesis, as it supplies one-carbon units necessary for nucleotide synthesis and rapid cell proliferation. However, its contribution to adult tissue homeostasis remains largely unknown. To examine its role in adult tissue homeostasis, we specifically investigated mammary gland development during pregnancy, as it involves heightened cell proliferation. We discovered that MTHFD2, a mitochondrial one-carbon metabolic enzyme, is expressed in both luminal and basal/myoepithelial cell layers, with upregulated expression during pregnancy. Using the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-Cre recombinase system, we generated mice with a specific mutation of Mthfd2 in mammary epithelial cells. While the mutant mice were capable of properly nurturing their offspring, the pregnancy-induced expansion of mammary glands was significantly delayed. This indicates that MTHFD2 contributes to the rapid development of mammary glands during pregnancy. Our findings shed light on the role of mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism in facilitating rapid cell proliferation, even in the context of the adult tissue homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuming Wang
- Division of Cancer Cell Biology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa Univerisity, Japan
| | - Tsunaki Hongu
- Division of Cancer Cell Biology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa Univerisity, Japan
| | - Tatsunori Nishimura
- Division of Cancer Cell Biology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa Univerisity, Japan
| | - Yasuto Takeuchi
- Division of Cancer Cell Biology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa Univerisity, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Takano
- Department of Cell Biology, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research (JFCR), Japan
| | - Takiko Daikoku
- Division of Animal Disease Model, Research Center for Experimental Modeling of Human Disease, Kanazawa University, Japan
| | - Ryoji Yao
- Department of Cell Biology, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research (JFCR), Japan
| | - Noriko Gotoh
- Division of Cancer Cell Biology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa Univerisity, Japan.
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15
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Zhang J, Bai J, Gong C, Wang J, Cheng Y, Zhao J, Xiong H. Serine-associated one-carbon metabolic reprogramming: a new anti-cancer therapeutic strategy. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1184626. [PMID: 37664062 PMCID: PMC10471886 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1184626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumour metabolism is a major focus of cancer research, and metabolic reprogramming is an important feature of malignant tumours. Serine is an important non-essential amino acid, which is a main resource of one-carbon units in tumours. Cancer cells proliferate more than normal cells and require more serine for proliferation. The cancer-related genes that are involved in serine metabolism also show changes corresponding to metabolic alterations. Here, we reviewed the serine-associated one-carbon metabolism and its potential as a target for anti-tumour therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jian Bai
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Chen Gong
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jianhua Wang
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yi Cheng
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Huihua Xiong
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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16
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Sugarman AJ, Do Huynh L, Shabro A, Di Cristofano A. Anaplastic thyroid cancer cells upregulate mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism to meet purine demand, eliciting a critical targetable vulnerability. Cancer Lett 2023; 568:216304. [PMID: 37422127 PMCID: PMC10380793 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the most aggressive and lethal tumor types, characterized by loss of differentiation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, extremely high proliferation rate, and generalized resistance to therapy. To identify novel relevant, targetable molecular alterations, we analyzed gene expression profiles from a genetically engineered ATC mouse model and from human patient datasets, and found consistent upregulation of genes encoding enzymes involved in the one-carbon metabolic pathway, which uses serine and folates to generate both nucleotides and glycine. Genetic and pharmacological inhibition of SHMT2, a key enzyme of the mitochondrial arm of the one-carbon pathway, rendered ATC cells glycine auxotroph and led to significant inhibition of cell proliferation and colony forming ability, which was primarily caused by depletion of the purine pool. Notably, these growth-suppressive effects were significantly amplified when cells were grown in the presence of physiological types and levels of folates. Genetic depletion of SHMT2 dramatically impaired tumor growth in vivo, both in xenograft models and in an immunocompetent allograft model of ATC. Together, these data establish the upregulation of the one-carbon metabolic pathway as a novel and targetable vulnerability of ATC cells, which can be exploited for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Sugarman
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Luong Do Huynh
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Aidin Shabro
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Antonio Di Cristofano
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
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17
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Flickinger KM, Wilson KM, Rossiter NJ, Hunger AL, Lee TD, Hall MD, Cantor JR. Conditional lethality profiling reveals anticancer mechanisms of action and drug-nutrient interactions. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.04.543621. [PMID: 37333068 PMCID: PMC10274668 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.04.543621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Chemical screening studies have identified drug sensitivities across hundreds of cancer cell lines but most putative therapeutics fail to translate. Discovery and development of drug candidates in models that more accurately reflect nutrient availability in human biofluids may help in addressing this major challenge. Here we performed high-throughput screens in conventional versus Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM). Sets of conditional anticancer compounds span phases of clinical development and include non-oncology drugs. Among these, we characterize a unique dual-mechanism of action for brivudine, an agent otherwise approved for antiviral treatment. Using an integrative approach, we find that brivudine affects two independent targets in folate metabolism. We also traced conditional phenotypes for several drugs to the availability of nucleotide salvage pathway substrates and verified others for compounds that seemingly elicit off-target anticancer effects. Our findings establish generalizable strategies for exploiting conditional lethality in HPLM to reveal therapeutic candidates and mechanisms of action.
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18
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Jha V, Eriksson LA. Binding Modes of Xanthine-Derived Selective Allosteric Site Inhibitors of MTHFD2. ChemistryOpen 2023; 12:e202300052. [PMID: 37129313 PMCID: PMC10152887 DOI: 10.1002/open.202300052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (MTHFD2) is a mitochondrial enzyme involved in 1 C metabolism that is upregulated in various cancer cells, but absent in normal proliferating cells. Xanthine derivatives are the first selective inhibitors of MTHFD2 which bind to its allosteric site. Xanthine derivatives (including the co-crystallized inhibitors) were herein interrogated by molecular/induced-fit docking, MM-GBSA binding free energy calculations and molecular dynamics simulations in both MTHFD2 and MTHFD1 (a close homolog expressed in healthy cells). The gained insights from our in silico protocol allowed us to study binding mode, key protein-ligand interactions and dynamic movement of the allosteric inhibitors, correlating with their experimental binding affinities, biological activities and selectivity for MTHFD2. The reported conformational changes with MTHFD2 upon binding of xanthine derivatives were furthermore evaluated and confirmed by RMSF analyses of the MD simulation trajectories. The results reported herein are expected to benefit in the rational design of selective MTHFD2 allosteric inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vibhu Jha
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 9c, 405 30, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Leif A Eriksson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 9c, 405 30, Göteborg, Sweden
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19
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Sugarman AJ, Huynh LD, Shabro A, Di Cristofano A. Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Cells Upregulate Mitochondrial One-Carbon Metabolism To Meet Purine Demand, Eliciting A Critical Targetable Vulnerability. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.30.538848. [PMID: 37162981 PMCID: PMC10168415 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.30.538848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the most aggressive and lethal tumor types, characterized by loss of differentiation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, extremely high proliferation rate, and generalized resistance to therapy. To identify novel relevant, targetable molecular alterations, we analyzed gene expression profiles from a genetically engineered ATC mouse model and from human patient datasets, and found consistent upregulation of genes encoding enzymes involved in the one-carbon metabolic pathway, which uses serine and folates to generate both nucleotides and glycine. Genetic and pharmacological inhibition of SHMT2 , a key enzyme of the mitochondrial arm of the one-carbon pathway, rendered ATC cells glycine auxotroph and led to significant inhibition of cell proliferation and colony forming ability, which was primarily caused by depletion of the purine pool. Notably, these growth-suppressive effects were significantly amplified when cells were grown in the presence of physiological types and levels of folates. Genetic depletion of SHMT2 dramatically impaired tumor growth in vivo, both in xenograft models and in an immunocompetent allograft model of ATC. Together, these data establish the upregulation of the one-carbon metabolic pathway as a novel and targetable vulnerability of ATC cells, which can be exploited for therapeutic purposes.
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20
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Jha V, Holmelin FL, Eriksson LA. Binding Analysis and Structure-Based Design of Tricyclic Coumarin-Derived MTHFD2 Inhibitors as Anticancer Agents: Insights from Computational Modeling. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:14440-14458. [PMID: 37125100 PMCID: PMC10134251 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c08025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Unfolded protein response (UPR)-dependent metabolic reprogramming diverts metabolites from glycolysis to mitochondrial 1C metabolism, highlighting pharmacological resistance to folate drugs and overexpression of certain enzymes. Methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (MTHFD2) is a mitochondrial enzyme that plays a key role in 1C metabolism in purine and thymidine synthesis and is exclusively overexpressed in cancer cells but absent in most healthy adult human tissues. To the best of our knowledge, tricyclic coumarin-based compounds (substrate site binders) and xanthine derivatives (allosteric site binders) are the only selective inhibitors of MTHFD2 reported until the present date. The current study aims at the investigation of the available structural data of MTHFD2 in complex with potent and selective inhibitors that occupy the substrate binding site, further providing insights into binding mode, key protein-ligand interactions, and conformational dynamics, that correspond to the experimental binding affinities and biological activities. In addition, we carried out structure-based drug design on the substrate binding site of MTHFD2, by exploiting the cocrystal structure of MTHFD2 with the tricyclic coumarin-based inhibitor. The structure-based drug design campaign involves R-group enumeration, bioisostere replacement, molecular docking, ADME prediction, MM-GBSA binding free energy calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations, that led to a small library of new and potential compounds, capable of selectively inhibiting MTHFD2. The results reported herein are expected to benefit medicinal chemists working on the development of selective MTHFD2 inhibitors for cancer treatment, although experimental validation by biochemical and/or pharmacokinetic assays is required to substantiate the outcomes of the study.
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21
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Green AC, Marttila P, Kiweler N, Chalkiadaki C, Wiita E, Cookson V, Lesur A, Eiden K, Bernardin F, Vallin KSA, Borhade S, Long M, Ghahe EK, Jiménez-Alonso JJ, Jemth AS, Loseva O, Mortusewicz O, Meyers M, Viry E, Johansson AI, Hodek O, Homan E, Bonagas N, Ramos L, Sandberg L, Frödin M, Moussay E, Slipicevic A, Letellier E, Paggetti J, Sørensen CS, Helleday T, Henriksson M, Meiser J. Formate overflow drives toxic folate trapping in MTHFD1 inhibited cancer cells. Nat Metab 2023; 5:642-659. [PMID: 37012496 PMCID: PMC10132981 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-023-00771-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Cancer cells fuel their increased need for nucleotide supply by upregulating one-carbon (1C) metabolism, including the enzymes methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase-cyclohydrolase 1 and 2 (MTHFD1 and MTHFD2). TH9619 is a potent inhibitor of dehydrogenase and cyclohydrolase activities in both MTHFD1 and MTHFD2, and selectively kills cancer cells. Here, we reveal that, in cells, TH9619 targets nuclear MTHFD2 but does not inhibit mitochondrial MTHFD2. Hence, overflow of formate from mitochondria continues in the presence of TH9619. TH9619 inhibits the activity of MTHFD1 occurring downstream of mitochondrial formate release, leading to the accumulation of 10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate, which we term a 'folate trap'. This results in thymidylate depletion and death of MTHFD2-expressing cancer cells. This previously uncharacterized folate trapping mechanism is exacerbated by physiological hypoxanthine levels that block the de novo purine synthesis pathway, and additionally prevent 10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate consumption for purine synthesis. The folate trapping mechanism described here for TH9619 differs from other MTHFD1/2 inhibitors and antifolates. Thus, our findings uncover an approach to attack cancer and reveal a regulatory mechanism in 1C metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alanna C Green
- Weston Park Cancer Centre and Mellanby Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Petra Marttila
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Nicole Kiweler
- Cancer Metabolism Group, Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Christina Chalkiadaki
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Elisée Wiita
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Victoria Cookson
- Weston Park Cancer Centre and Mellanby Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Antoine Lesur
- Cancer Metabolism Group, Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Kim Eiden
- Cancer Metabolism Group, Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - François Bernardin
- Cancer Metabolism Group, Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Karl S A Vallin
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Södertälje, Sweden
| | - Sanjay Borhade
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- RedGlead Discover, Lund, Sweden
| | - Maeve Long
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Elahe Kamali Ghahe
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Julio J Jiménez-Alonso
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Ann-Sofie Jemth
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Olga Loseva
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Oliver Mortusewicz
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Marianne Meyers
- Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, Molecular Disease Mechanisms Group, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Elodie Viry
- Tumor Stroma Interactions, Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Annika I Johansson
- Swedish Metabolomics Centre, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ondřej Hodek
- Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Evert Homan
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Nadilly Bonagas
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Louise Ramos
- Weston Park Cancer Centre and Mellanby Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Lars Sandberg
- Drug Discovery and Development Platform, Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Organic Chemistry, Stockholm University, Solna, Sweden
| | - Morten Frödin
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Etienne Moussay
- Tumor Stroma Interactions, Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Ana Slipicevic
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- One-carbon Therapeutics AB, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elisabeth Letellier
- Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, Molecular Disease Mechanisms Group, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Jérôme Paggetti
- Tumor Stroma Interactions, Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | | | - Thomas Helleday
- Weston Park Cancer Centre and Mellanby Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
| | - Martin Henriksson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
| | - Johannes Meiser
- Cancer Metabolism Group, Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
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22
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Furukawa T, Tabata S, Minami K, Yamamoto M, Kawahara K, Tanimoto A. Metabolic reprograming of cancer as a therapeutic target. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2023; 1867:130301. [PMID: 36572257 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2022.130301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of metabolic reprogramming in cancer has tremendously improved along with the technical progression of metabolomic analysis. Metabolic changes in cancer cells proved much more complicated than the classical Warburg effect. Previous studies have approached metabolic changes as therapeutic and/or chemopreventive targets. Recently, several clinical trials have reported anti-cancer agents associated with metabolism. However, whether cancer cells are dependent on metabolic reprogramming or favor suitable conditions remains nebulous. Both scenarios are possibly intertwined. Identification of downstream molecules and the understanding of mechanisms underlying reprogrammed metabolism can improve the effectiveness of cancer therapy. Here, we review several examples of the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells and the therapies targeting the metabolism-related molecules as well as discuss practical approaches to improve the next generation of cancer therapies focused on the metabolic reprogramming of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuhiko Furukawa
- Department of Pathology, Graduate School Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan.
| | - Sho Tabata
- Laboratory for Cell Systems, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kentaro Minami
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Miyazaki Hospital, 5200 Kihara Kiyotake cho, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan
| | - Masatatsu Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
| | - Kohichi Kawahara
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Graduate School Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
| | - Akihide Tanimoto
- Department of Pathology, Graduate School Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan; Center for the Research of Advanced Diagnosis and Therapy of Cancer, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
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23
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Cellular signals integrate cell cycle and metabolic control in cancer. ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2023; 135:397-423. [PMID: 37061338 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2023.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Growth factors are the small peptides that can promote growth, differentiation, and survival of most living cells. However, aberrant activation of receptor tyrosine kinases by GFs can generate oncogenic signals, resulting in oncogenic transformation. Accumulating evidence support a link between GF/RTK signaling through the major signaling pathways, Ras/Erk and PI3K/Akt, and cell cycle progression. In response to GF signaling, the quiescent cells in the G0 stage can re-enter the cell cycle and become the proliferative stage. While in the proliferative stage, tumor cells undergo profound changes in their metabolism to support biomass production and bioenergetic requirements. Accumulating data show that the cell cycle regulators, specifically cyclin D, cyclin B, Cdk2, Cdk4, and Cdk6, and anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C-Cdh1) play critical roles in modulating various metabolic pathways. These cell cycle regulators can regulate metabolic enzyme activities through post-translational mechanisms or the transcriptional factors that control the expression of the metabolic genes. This fine-tune control allows only the relevant metabolic pathways to be active in a particular phase of the cell cycle, thereby providing suitable amounts of biosynthetic precursors available during the proliferative stage. The imbalance of metabolites in each cell cycle phase can induce cell cycle arrest followed by p53-induced apoptosis.
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24
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Lin JMG, Kourtis S, Ghose R, Pardo Lorente N, Kubicek S, Sdelci S. Metabolic modulation of transcription: The role of one-carbon metabolism. Cell Chem Biol 2022; 29:S2451-9456(22)00415-9. [PMID: 36513079 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2022.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
While it is well known that expression levels of metabolic enzymes regulate the metabolic state of the cell, there is mounting evidence that the converse is also true, that metabolite levels themselves can modulate gene expression via epigenetic modifications and transcriptional regulation. Here we focus on the one-carbon metabolic pathway, which provides the essential building blocks of many classes of biomolecules, including purine nucleotides, thymidylate, serine, and methionine. We review the epigenetic roles of one-carbon metabolic enzymes and their associated metabolites and introduce an interactive computational resource that places enzyme essentiality in the context of metabolic pathway topology. Therefore, we briefly discuss examples of metabolic condensates and higher-order complexes of metabolic enzymes downstream of one-carbon metabolism. We speculate that they may be required to the formation of transcriptional condensates and gene expression control. Finally, we discuss new ways to exploit metabolic pathway compartmentalization to selectively target these enzymes in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Ming G Lin
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Savvas Kourtis
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia 08003, Spain
| | - Ritobrata Ghose
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia 08003, Spain
| | - Natalia Pardo Lorente
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia 08003, Spain
| | - Stefan Kubicek
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Sara Sdelci
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia 08003, Spain.
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25
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Helleday T, Rudd SG. Targeting the DNA damage response and repair in cancer through nucleotide metabolism. Mol Oncol 2022; 16:3792-3810. [PMID: 35583750 PMCID: PMC9627788 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The exploitation of the DNA damage response and DNA repair proficiency of cancer cells is an important anticancer strategy. The replication and repair of DNA are dependent upon the supply of deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) building blocks, which are produced and maintained by nucleotide metabolic pathways. Enzymes within these pathways can be promising targets to selectively induce toxic DNA lesions in cancer cells. These same pathways also activate antimetabolites, an important group of chemotherapies that disrupt both nucleotide and DNA metabolism to induce DNA damage in cancer cells. Thus, dNTP metabolic enzymes can also be targeted to refine the use of these chemotherapeutics, many of which remain standard of care in common cancers. In this review article, we will discuss both these approaches exemplified by the enzymes MTH1, MTHFD2 and SAMHD1. © 2022 The Authors. Molecular Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Helleday
- Science for Life LaboratoryDepartment of Oncology‐PathologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden,Department of Oncology and Metabolism, Weston Park Cancer CentreUniversity of SheffieldUK
| | - Sean G. Rudd
- Science for Life LaboratoryDepartment of Oncology‐PathologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
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26
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Li D, Yu H, Hu J, Li S, Yan Y, Li S, Sun L, Jiang G, Hou L, Zhang L, Zhang P. Comparative profiling of single-cell transcriptome reveals heterogeneity of tumor microenvironment between solid and acinar lung adenocarcinoma. J Transl Med 2022; 20:423. [PMID: 36138435 PMCID: PMC9502652 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03620-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The diversity of histologic composition reflects the inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity of lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs) macroscopically. Insights into the oncological characteristics and tumor microenvironment (TME) of different histologic subtypes of LUAD at the single-cell level can help identify potential therapeutic vulnerabilities and combinational approaches to improve the survival of LUAD patients. METHODS Through comparative profiling of cell communities defined by scRNA-seq data, we characterized the TME of LUAD samples of distinct histologic subtypes, with relevant results further confirmed in multiple bulk transcriptomic, proteomic datasets and an independent immunohistochemical validation cohort. RESULTS We find that the hypoxic and acidic situation is the worst in the TME of solid LUADs compared to other histologic subtypes. Besides, the tumor metabolic preferences vary across histologic subtypes and may correspondingly impinge on the metabolism and function of immune cells. Remarkably, tumor cells from solid LUADs upregulate energy and substance metabolic activities, particularly the folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism and the key gene MTHFD2, which could serve as a potential therapeutic target. Additionally, ubiquitination modifications may also be involved in the progression of histologic patterns. Immunologically, solid LUADs are characterized by a predominance of exhausted T cells and immunosuppressive myeloid cells, where the hypoxic, acidified and nutrient-deprived TME has a non-negligible impact. Discrepancies in stromal cell function, evidenced by varying degrees of stromal remodeling and fibrosis, may also contribute to the specific immune phenotype of solid LUADs. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our research proposes several potential entry points to improve the immunosuppressive TME of solid LUADs, thereby synergistically potentiating their immunotherapeutic efficacy, and may provide precise therapeutic strategies for LUAD patients of distinct histologic subtype constitution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dianke Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 507 Zhengmin Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Huansha Yu
- Experimental Animal Center, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Junjie Hu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 507 Zhengmin Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Shaoling Li
- Department of Pathology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 507 Zhengmin Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Yilv Yan
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 507 Zhengmin Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Shuangyi Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 507 Zhengmin Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Liangdong Sun
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 507 Zhengmin Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Gening Jiang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 507 Zhengmin Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Likun Hou
- Department of Pathology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 507 Zhengmin Road, Shanghai, 200433, China.
| | - Lele Zhang
- Central Laboratory, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 507 Zhengmin Road, Shanghai, 200433, China.
| | - Peng Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 507 Zhengmin Road, Shanghai, 200433, China. .,Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University Medical College, Shihezi, 832000, Xinjiang, China.
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27
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Scaletti ER, Gustafsson Westergren R, Andersson Y, Wiita E, Henriksson M, Homan EJ, Jemth A, Helleday T, Stenmark P. The First Structure of Human MTHFD2L and Its Implications for the Development of Isoform-Selective Inhibitors. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202200274. [PMID: 35712863 PMCID: PMC9796130 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202200274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 (MTHFD2) is a mitochondrial 1-carbon metabolism enzyme, which is an attractive anticancer drug target as it is highly upregulated in cancer but is not expressed in healthy adult cells. Selective MTHFD2 inhibitors could therefore offer reduced side-effects during treatment, which are common with antifolate drugs that target other 1C-metabolism enzymes. This task is challenging however, as MTHFD2 shares high sequence identity with the constitutively expressed isozymes cytosolic MTHFD1 and mitochondrial MTHFD2L. In fact, one of the most potent MTHFD2 inhibitors reported to date, TH7299, is actually more active against MTHFD1 and MTHFD2L. While structures of MTHFD2 and MTHFD1 exist, no MTHFD2L structures are available. We determined the first structure of MTHFD2L and its complex with TH7299, which reveals the structural basis for its highly potent MTHFD2L inhibition. Detailed analysis of the MTHFD2L structure presented here clearly highlights the challenges associated with developing truly isoform-selective MTHFD2 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma R. Scaletti
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsStockholm UniversitySvante Arrhenius väg 16 CStockholm106 91Sweden
| | | | - Yasmin Andersson
- Drug Discovery and Development Platform, Science for Life Laboratory School of BiotechnologyRoyal Institute of TechnologyTomtebodavägen 23aStockholm17165Sweden
| | - Elisee Wiita
- Science for Life LaboratoryDepartment of Oncology-PathologyKarolinska InstituteTomtebodavägen 23aStockholm171 65Sweden
| | - Martin Henriksson
- Science for Life LaboratoryDepartment of Oncology-PathologyKarolinska InstituteTomtebodavägen 23aStockholm171 65Sweden
| | - Evert J. Homan
- Science for Life LaboratoryDepartment of Oncology-PathologyKarolinska InstituteTomtebodavägen 23aStockholm171 65Sweden
| | - Ann‐Sofie Jemth
- Science for Life LaboratoryDepartment of Oncology-PathologyKarolinska InstituteTomtebodavägen 23aStockholm171 65Sweden
| | - Thomas Helleday
- Science for Life LaboratoryDepartment of Oncology-PathologyKarolinska InstituteTomtebodavägen 23aStockholm171 65Sweden,Department of Oncology and MetabolismThe University of SheffieldBeech Hill RoadSheffieldS10 2RXUK
| | - Pål Stenmark
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsStockholm UniversitySvante Arrhenius väg 16 CStockholm106 91Sweden
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28
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Regulation and Therapeutic Targeting of MTHFD2 and EZH2 in KRAS-Mutated Human Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma. Metabolites 2022; 12:metabo12070652. [PMID: 35888776 PMCID: PMC9324032 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12070652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Activating KRAS mutations occur in about 30% of pulmonary adenocarcinoma (AC) cases and the discovery of specific inhibitors of G12C-mutated KRAS has considerably improved the prognosis for a subgroup of about 14% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, even in patients with a KRAS G12C mutation, the overall response rate only reaches about 40% and mutations other than G12C still cannot be targeted. Despite the fact that one-carbon metabolism (1CM) and epigenetic regulation are known to be dysregulated by aberrant KRAS activity, we still lack evidence that co-treatment with drugs that regulate these factors might ameliorate response rates and patient prognosis. In this study, we show a direct dependency of Methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 (MTHFD2) and Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) expression on mutationally activated KRAS and their prognostic relevance in KRAS-mutated AC. We show that aberrant KRAS activity generates a vulnerability of AC cancer cell lines to both MTHFD2 and EZH2 inhibitors. Importantly, co-inhibition of both factors was synergistically effective and comparable to KRASG12C inhibition alone, paving the way for their use in a therapeutic approach for NSCLC cancer patients.
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29
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Dionellis VS, Halazonetis TD. Beating cancer one carbon at a time. NATURE CANCER 2022; 3:141-142. [PMID: 35228750 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-022-00333-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
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