Bildik Gamze, Gray Joshua P, Mao Weiqun, Yang Hailing, Ozyurt Rumeysa, Orellana Vivian R, De Wever Olivier, Carey Mark S, Bast Robert C, Lu Zhen
Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Laboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Belgium; Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Autophagy. 2024 Mar;20(3):675-691. doi: 10.1080/15548627.2023.2299516. Epub 2024 Jan 3.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and low-grade ovarian cancer (LGSOC) are characterized by the prevalence of KRAS oncogene mutations. DIRAS3 is the first endogenous non-RAS protein that heterodimerizes with RAS, disrupts RAS clustering, blocks RAS signaling, and inhibits cancer cell growth. Here, we found that DIRAS3-mediated KRAS inhibition induces ROS-mediated apoptosis in PDAC and LGSOC cells with KRAS mutations, but not in cells with wild-type KRAS, by downregulating NFE2L2/Nrf2 transcription, reducing antioxidants, and inducing oxidative stress. DIRAS3 also induces cytoprotective macroautophagy/autophagy that may protect mutant KRAS cancer cells from oxidative stress, by inhibiting mutant KRAS, activating the STK11/LKB1-PRKAA/AMPK pathway, increasing lysosomal CDKN1B/p27 localization, and inducing autophagic gene expression. Treatment with chloroquine or the novel dimeric chloroquine analog DC661 significantly enhances DIRAS3-mediated inhibition of mutant KRAS tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our study demonstrates that DIRAS3 plays a critical role in regulating mutant KRAS-driven oncogenesis in PDAC and LGSOC. AFR: autophagic flux reporter; ATG: autophagy related; CQ: chloroquine; DCFDA: 2'-7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate; DIRAS3: DIRAS family GTPase 3; DOX: doxycycline; KRAS: KRAS proto-oncogene, LGSOC: low-grade serous ovarian cancer; MiT/TFE: microphthalmia family of transcription factors; NAC: N-acetylcysteine; PDAC: pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; ROS: reactive oxygen species; TFEB: transcription factor EB.
胰腺导管腺癌(PDAC)和低级别卵巢癌(LGSOC)的特征是KRAS癌基因突变普遍存在。DIRAS3是首个与RAS异源二聚化的内源性非RAS蛋白,它可破坏RAS聚集、阻断RAS信号传导并抑制癌细胞生长。在此,我们发现DIRAS3介导的KRAS抑制通过下调NFE2L2/Nrf2转录、减少抗氧化剂并诱导氧化应激,在携带KRAS突变的PDAC和LGSOC细胞中诱导ROS介导的细胞凋亡,但在携带野生型KRAS的细胞中则不会。DIRAS3还通过抑制突变型KRAS、激活STK11/LKB1-PRKAA/AMPK途径、增加溶酶体CDKN1B/p27定位并诱导自噬基因表达,诱导具有细胞保护作用的巨自噬/自噬,这可能保护突变型KRAS癌细胞免受氧化应激。用氯喹或新型二聚体氯喹类似物DC661处理可在体外和体内显著增强DIRAS3介导的对突变型KRAS肿瘤细胞生长的抑制作用。综上所述,我们的研究表明DIRAS3在调节PDAC和LGSOC中由突变型KRAS驱动的肿瘤发生中起关键作用。AFR:自噬通量报告基因;ATG:自噬相关;CQ:氯喹;DCFDA:2'-7'-二氯二氢荧光素二乙酸酯;DIRAS3:DIRAS家族GTP酶3;DOX:强力霉素;KRAS:KRAS原癌基因;LGSOC:低级别浆液性卵巢癌;MiT/TFE:小眼转录因子家族;NAC:N-乙酰半胱氨酸;PDAC:胰腺导管腺癌;ROS:活性氧;TFEB:转录因子EB。