Project description:Overexpression of MYC family members is linked to poor clinical outcome in many human cancers. These oncoproteins drive proliferation, alter metabolism, and mediate an antioxidant response to maintain tumor cell redox balance. However, to date, there are no effective inhibitors that specifically target MYC-amplified tumors. We demonstrate that MYCN-amplified, aggressive childhood neuroblastoma cells undergo ferroptotic cell death in vivo in the absence of intracellular cysteine, thus implicating MYCN as a predictive biomarker for ferroptosis sensitivity in neuroblastoma. Although cysteine is provided by both uptake from the microenvironment and MYCN-induced transsulfuration of methionine, glutathione levels remain low in these highly proliferative cancer cells due to concomitant cysteine utilization for protein and nucleotide synthesis. Consequently, MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells are highly susceptible to lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis, which must be counteracted by GPX4 activity. Pharmacological inhibition of both cystine uptake and transsulfuration combined with GPX4 inactivation resulted in tumor remission in an orthotopic MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma model. Our data show that MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma is sensitized to ferroptosis, which can be exploited therapeutically, by depleting the intracellular cysteine pool with concomitant GPX4 inactivation. These findings may help to develop novel clinical strategies to target MYCN-amplified tumors by inducing ferroptotic cell death.
Project description:Analysis of ferroptosis markers from cells isolated from neuroblastoma orthotopic xenograft mouse model. We combine simultaneous inhibition of cysteine uptake and transsulfuration in xenograft model using SK-N-DZ cell line. We treated the mice with IKE and PPG together with genetic targeting of GPX4 activity. At the end of the treatment, transcriptional profiling of residual small tumors revealed induction of ferroptosis markers after combined inhibition of cystine uptake/cysteine synthesis and GPX4 as compared to tumors treated with vehicle control.
Project description:The amino acid cysteine and its oxidized dimeric form cystine are commonly believed to be synonymous in metabolic functions. Cyst(e)ine depletion not only induces amino acid response, but also triggers ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic cell death. Here we report that, unlike general amino acid starvation, cyst(e)ine deprivation triggers ATF4 induction at the transcriptional level. Unexpectedly, it is the shortage of lysosomal cystine, but not the cytosolic cysteine, that elicits the adaptative ATF4 response. The lysosome-nucleus signaling pathway involves the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) that senses lysosomal cystine via the kynurenine pathway. A blockade of lysosomal cystine efflux attenuates ATF4 induction and sensitizes ferroptosis. To potentiate ferroptosis in cancer, we develop a synthetic mRNA reagent CysRx that converts cytosolic cysteine to lysosomal cystine. CysRx maximizes cancer cell ferroptosis and effectively suppresses tumor growth in vivo. Thus, intracellular nutrient reprogramming has the potential to induce selective ferroptosis in cancer without systematic perturbation.
Project description:Understanding the operational molecular, and metabolic networks that determine the balance between pro- and anti-ferroptotic regulatory pathways could unravel unique vulnerabilities to be exploited for cancer therapy. Using genome-wide and single-cell CRISPR activation screens, we identify the selenoprotein P (SELENOP) receptor, LRP8, as a key determinant protecting MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells from ferroptosis in vitro and in orthotopic neuroblastoma mouse models. Specifically, the exquisite dependency on LRP8-mediated selenocysteine import is caused by the failure of MYCN-amplified cells to efficiently utilize alternative forms of selenium/selenocysteine based uptake necessary for selenoprotein biosynthesis. Increased activity of one of such transporters, SLC7A11, in MYCN-amplified cells leads to cysteine overload, progressive mitochondrial decline and impaired proliferation. These data reveal in LRP8 a targetable, and specific vulnerability of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells and disclose a yet-unaccounted mechanism for selective ferroptosis induction that has the potential to become an important therapeutic entry point for MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma.
Project description:Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a highly aggressive nature and distinct molecular characteristics from other subtypes of breast cancer and lacks effective targeted therapy. The molecular and genetic basis of cysteine/cystine dependency in TNBC is complex. We found that cysteine addiction associates with the expression of a set of Claudin genes in TNBC. The Claudin-high TNBCs are independent on cystine, while the Claudin-low TNBCs undergo rapid ferroptosis upon cystine deprivation or inhibition of cystine transport by erastin. To overcome the resistance of Claudin-high TNBC and luminal breast cancer to the potential targeted cystine-addiction therapy, we explored the synthetic lethality of cysteine by an epigenetic compound library screen. Several potent HDAC6 inhibitors were identified and rendered the Claudin-high TNBCs and luminal cancer cells dependent on extracellular cystine and undergoing ferroptosis upon cystine deprivation. The transcriptomic profiling showed that the HDAC6 inhibitor tubacin in combination with erastin activates a synthetic-lethal transcriptional program. Together, we have identified the HDAC6 inhibitors as potent therapy-sensitizers to revive the targeted cysteine-addiction therapy for various subtypes of breast cancer, not limit in the Claudin-low TNBC.
Project description:MYCN amplification in neuroblastoma leads to aberrant expression of MYCN oncoprotein, which binds active genes promoting transcriptional amplification. Yet how MYCN coordinates transcription elongation to meet productive transcriptional amplification and which elongation machinery represents MYCN-driven vulnerability remain to be identified. We conducted a targeted screen of transcription elongation factors and identified the super elongation complex (SEC) as a unique vulnerability in MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas. MYCN directly binds EAF1 and recruits SEC to enhance processive transcription elongation. Depletion of EAF1 or AFF1/AFF4, another core subunit of SEC, leads to a global reduction in transcription elongation and elicits selective apoptosis of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells. A combination screen reveals SEC inhibition synergistically potentiates the therapeutic efficacies of FDA-approved BCL2 antagonist ABT-199, in part due to suppression of MCL1 expression, both in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells and in patient-derived xenografts. These findings identify disruption of the MYCN-SEC regulatory axis as a promising therapeutic strategy in neuroblastoma.
Project description:<p>Ferroptosis is mediated by lipid peroxidation of phospholipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acyl moieties. Glutathione, the key cellular antioxidant capable of inhibiting lipid peroxidation via the activity of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX-4), is generated directly from the sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine, and indirectly from methionine via the transsulfuration pathway. Herein we show that cysteine and methionine deprivation (CMD) can synergize with the GPX4 inhibitor RSL3 to increase ferroptotic cell death and lipid peroxidation in both murine and human glioma cell lines and in <em>ex vivo</em> organotypic slice cultures. We also show that a cysteine-depleted, methionine-restricted diet can improve therapeutic response to RSL3 and prolong survival in a syngeneic orthotopic murine glioma model. Finally, this CMD diet leads to profound <em>in vivo</em> metabolomic, proteomic and lipidomic alterations, highlighting the potential for improving the efficacy of ferroptotic therapies in glioma treatment with a non-invasive dietary modification.</p>
Project description:Ferroptosis is mediated by lipid peroxidation of phospholipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acyl moieties. Glutathione, the key cellular antioxidant capable of inhibiting lipid peroxidation via the activity of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX-4), is generated directly from the sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine, and indirectly from methionine via the transsulfuration pathway. Herein we show that cysteine and methionine deprivation (CMD) can synergize with the GPX4 inhibitor RSL3 to increase ferroptotic cell death and lipid peroxidation in both murine and human glioma cell lines and in ex vivo organotypic slice cultures. We also show that a cysteine-depleted, methionine-restricted diet can improve therapeutic response to RSL3 and prolong survival in a syngeneic orthotopic murine glioma model. Finally, this CMD diet leads to profound in vivo metabolomic, proteomic and lipidomic alterations, highlighting the potential for improving the efficacy of ferroptotic therapies in glioma treatment with a non-invasive dietary modification.
Project description:Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in the tumorigenesis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Ferroptosis is considered a mechanism to suppress tumorigenesis. Herein, we identified a novel downregulated circRNA, circPOLA2 (hsa_circ_0004291), in NSCLC tissues and found that it was correlated with advanced clinical stage in patients. Nuclear-cytoplasmic fractionation assays and FISH assays confirmed that circPOLA2 was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm. Overexpression of circPOLA2 promoted lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis in NSCLC cells, thereby inhibiting cell proliferation and migration, while knockdown of circPOLA2 exerted the opposite effects. Mechanistically, circPOLA2 interacted with Merlin, a critical regulator of the Hippo pathway, and restricted Merlin phosphorylation at S518, leading to the activation of the Hippo pathway. In addition, circPOLA2 enhanced ferroptosis in NSCLC cells by activating the Hippo pathway. Together, circPOLA2 sensitizes cells to ferroptosis and suppresses tumorigenesis in NSCLC by facilitating Merlin-mediated activation of the Hippo signaling pathway.