Metabolic Reprogramming of Oncogene-Addicted Cancer Cells to OXPHOS as a Mechanism of Drug Resistance

Publication date: Available online 17 December 2018Source: Redox BiologyAuthor(s): Jayshree Hirpara, Jie Qing Eu, Joanna Kia Min Tan, Andrea L. Wong, Marie-Veronique Clement, Kong Li Ren, Naoto Ohi, Takeshi Tsunoda, Jianhua Qu, Boon Cher Goh, Shazib PervaizAbstractThe ability to selectively eradicate oncogene-addicted tumors while reducing systemic toxicity has endeared targeted therapies as a treatment strategy. Nevertheless, development of acquired resistance limits the benefits and durability of such a regime. Here we report evidence of enhanced reliance on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in oncogene-addicted cancers manifesting acquired resistance to targeted therapies. To that effect, we describe a novel OXPHOS targeting activity of the small molecule compound, OPB-51602 (OPB). Of note, a priori treatment with OPB restored sensitivity to targeted therapies. Furthermore, cancer cells exhibiting stemness markers also showed selective reliance on OXPHOS and enhanced sensitivity to OPB. Importantly, in a subset of patients who developed secondary resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), OPB treatment resulted in decrease in metabolic activity and reduction in tumor size. Collectively, we show here a switch to mitochondrial OXPHOS as a key driver of targeted drug resistance in oncogene-addicted cancers. This metabolic vulnerability is exploited by a novel OXPHOS inhibitor, which also shows promise in the clinical setting.
Source: Redox Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: research