Yang Xu, Deng Li, Diao Xianhong, Yang Siyuan, Zou Li, Yang Qin, Li Jian, Nie Jianyun, Zhao Lina, Jiao Baowei
National Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China.
Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China.
iScience. 2023 Oct 16;26(11):108218. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108218. eCollection 2023 Nov 17.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) poses a considerable challenge due to its aggressive nature. Notably, metal ion-induced cell death, such as ferroptosis, has garnered significant attention and demonstrated potential implications for cancer. Recently, cuproptosis, a potent cell death pathway reliant on copper, has been identified. However, whether cuproptosis can be targeted for cancer treatment remains uncertain. Here, we screened the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug library and identified zinc pyrithione (ZnPT) as a compound that significantly inhibited TNBC progression. RNA sequencing revealed that ZnPT disrupted copper homeostasis. Furthermore, ZnPT facilitated the oligomerization of dihydrolipoamide S-acetyltransferase, a landmark molecule of cuproptosis. Clinically, high expression levels of cuproptosis-related proteins were significantly correlated with poor prognosis in TNBC patients. Collectively, these findings indicate that ZnPT can induce cell death by targeting and disrupting copper homeostasis, providing a potential experimental foundation for exploring cuproptosis as a target in drug discovery for TNBC patients.
三阴性乳腺癌(TNBC)因其侵袭性而构成了相当大的挑战。值得注意的是,金属离子诱导的细胞死亡,如铁死亡,已引起了广泛关注,并显示出对癌症的潜在影响。最近,已发现一种依赖铜的强效细胞死亡途径——铜死亡。然而,铜死亡是否可作为癌症治疗的靶点仍不确定。在此,我们筛选了美国食品药品监督管理局(FDA)批准的药物库,并确定吡啶硫酮锌(ZnPT)是一种能显著抑制TNBC进展的化合物。RNA测序显示,ZnPT破坏了铜稳态。此外,ZnPT促进了二氢硫辛酰胺S-乙酰转移酶的寡聚化,这是铜死亡的一个标志性分子。在临床上,铜死亡相关蛋白的高表达水平与TNBC患者的不良预后显著相关。总体而言,这些发现表明,ZnPT可通过靶向和破坏铜稳态来诱导细胞死亡,为探索将铜死亡作为TNBC患者药物发现的靶点提供了潜在的实验基础。