Identification of LDH-A as a therapeutic target for cancer cell killing via (i) p53.NAD(H)-dependent and (ii) p53-independent pathways
Allison, Simon J. Knight, J.R.P. Granchi, C. Rani, R. Minutolo, F. Milner, J. Phillips, Roger M.
Allison, Simon J.
Knight, J.R.P.
Granchi, C.
Rani, R.
Minutolo, F.
Milner, J.
Phillips, Roger M.
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2014
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Abstract
Most cancer cells use aerobic glycolysis to fuel their growth. The enzyme lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDH-A) is key to cancer’s glycolytic phenotype, catalysing the regeneration of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) from reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) necessary to sustain glycolysis. As such, LDH-A is a promising target for anticancer therapy. Here we ask if the tumour suppressor p53, a major regulator of cellular metabolism, influences the response of cancer cells to LDH-A suppression. LDH-A knockdown by RNA interference (RNAi) induced cancer cell death in p53 wild-type, mutant and p53-null human cancer cell lines, indicating that endogenous LDH-A promotes cancer cell survival irrespective of cancer cell p53 status. Unexpectedly, however, we uncovered a novel role for p53 in the regulation of cancer cell NAD+ and its reduced form NADH. Thus, LDH-A silencing by RNAi, or its inhibition using a small-molecule inhibitor, resulted in a p53-dependent increase in the cancer cell ratio of NADH:NAD+. This effect was specific for p53+/+ cancer cells and correlated with (i) reduced activity of NAD+-dependent deacetylase sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and (ii) an increase in acetylated p53, a known target of SIRT1 deacetylation activity. In addition, activation of the redox-sensitive anticancer drug EO9 was enhanced selectively in p53+/+ cancer cells, attributable to increased activity of NAD(P)H-dependent oxidoreductase NQO1 (NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1). Suppressing LDH-A increased EO9-induced DNA damage in p53+/+ cancer cells, but importantly had no additive effect in non-cancer cells. Our results identify a unique strategy by which the NADH/NAD+ cellular redox status can be modulated in a cancer-specific, p53-dependent manner and we show that this can impact upon the activity of important NAD(H)-dependent enzymes. To summarise, this work indicates two distinct mechanisms by which suppressing LDH-A could potentially be used to kill cancer cells selectively, (i) through induction of apoptosis, irrespective of cancer cell p53 status and (ii) as a part of a combinatorial approach with redox-sensitive anticancer drugs via a novel p53/NAD(H)-dependent mechanism.
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Allison SJ, Knight JR, Granchi C et al (2014) Identification of LDH-A as a therapeutic target for cancer cell killing via (i) p53/NAD(H)-dependent and (ii) p53-independent pathways. Oncogenesis. 3: e102.
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