Targeting Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake to Eradicate Venetoclax-Resistant Acute Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells
Notice bibliographique
Résumé
Introduction Previously, we demonstrated that human leukemia stem cells (LSCs) are preferentially reliant on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) for survival. Furthermore, inhibition of BCL2 with venetoclax (ven) acts to suppress OXPHOS, leading to the eradication of LSCs. While the activity of ven in targeting LSCs is well-established, nearly all patients eventually develop disease that is resistant to treatment. Thus, in the present study, we sought to better understand the biological properties of ven-resistant LSCs. We reasoned that the expression of known BCL2 interacting proteins in ven-sensitive (ven-S) vs. ven-resistant (ven-R) would provide insights on resistance mechanisms. Initial findings showed that one of the most prevalent molecular features observable in ven resistant LSCs is up-regulation of calcium signaling. As calcium is a critical modulator of multiple enzymes involved in OXPHOS, we hypothesized that the maintenance of high mitochondrial calcium could contribute to circumventing the effects of ven treatment. Thus, the present study was designed to test the functional role of calcium in ven-R LSCs and to determine whether targeting mitochondrial calcium transport represents a therapeutic vulnerability. Methods CITE-Seq analysis was performed on 25 AML patient specimens and analyzed using TotalVI. All studies were conducted in primary human AML specimens with LSCs defined by a ROS-low phenotype. Mitochondrial calcium measurements were done using Rhod2-AM. OXPHOS activity was measured through seahorse and enzyme activity assays. Genetic perturbations were done using siRNA via electroporation and confirmed with western blot. LSC function was assessed by colony formation assays and PDX experiments. PDX experiments were also used to determine efficacy of tumor reduction in ven-R AML samples. Results To identify unique features of ven resistant LSCs, we performed single cell RNA-seq on known ven-S vs. ven-R specimens. As shown in Fig 1, resistant LSCs had higher expression of genes involved in calcium transport into the mitochondria, which was reflected by increased steady-state mitochondrial calcium levels compared to ven-S LSCs. Thus, we investigated targeting of the calcium uniporter, MCU, as a means to reduce mitochondrial calcium levels. Treatment of primary LSCs with pharmacological MCU inhibitors (Ru265, MCUi4), as well as genetic inhibition of MCU with siRNAs, led to decreased mitochondrial calcium levels, suppression of calcium dependent TCA cycle dehydrogenase activity, reduced OXPHOS activity, and impaired LSC function as measured by colony assays (CFU) and engraftment in immune deficient mice. Importantly, MCU inhibition did not significantly impair normal stem/progenitor cells. To develop a clinically relevant system, we investigated bio-available agents known to inhibit MCU. Intriguingly, the only known FDA-approved direct MCU inhibitor is the chemotherapy agent, mitoxantrone (mitox). We performed a series of studies to assess the impact of mitox on ven-R LSCs. Our findings demonstrate that venetoclax resistant LSCs are exquisitely sensitive to mitox. In CFU assays, doses as low 1.0nM show strong inhibitory activity. Further, treatment of immune deficient mice bearing human xenografts (Fig 2), showed significant reduction of bulk disease in primary mice, and strong suppression of LSCs in secondary transplants. Notably, DNA damage was not present in LSCs treated with mitox as measured by gamma H2AX staining. Additionally, parallel studies with the related agents, doxorubicin and etoposide, showed no inhibition of CFU, mitochondrial calcium, or OXPHOS activity. Lastly, no discernable effect on normal hematopoietic stem cell activity was evident. Conclusions Our findings suggest that ven-R LSCs have adapted to their unique cellular demands by increasing basal mitochondrial calcium levels to drive OXPHOS. Based on this finding, we propose that inhibition of mitochondrial calcium uptake impairs multiple enzymes required for OXPHOS, which in turns leads to eradication of LSCs. Importantly, we also show that the well-established chemotherapy agent mitoxantrone can effectively inhibit MCU at nanomolar concentrations and is a highly potent against ven-R LSCs. We are currently working to establish a clinical trial in which low-dose mitox will be deployed to augment ven-based therapy.
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Comment cette classification a été obtenuedéplier
Prédiction machine sur la base complète
Imitation des enseignantsNi prévalence calibrée, ni vérité terrain. Validation humaine à venir. Le volet Gemma est une étiquette directe du modèle pour chaque travail de la base, lue sur la notice réduite au titre. Le volet Codex est un classifieur appris des 10 348 étiquettes directes de Codex et calibré sur les taux pondérés de l'échantillon; les champs sans appui suffisant ne portent aucun appel Codex. Le mode candidate est l'union des deux volets; le consensus est leur intersection. Ces sorties portent le statut machine_predicted_unvalidated et ne sont pas des étiquettes humaines.
Scores du classifieur distillé par catégorie (deux têtes)
| Catégorie | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Métarecherche | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens strict) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens large) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Bibliométrie | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Études des sciences et des technologies | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Communication savante | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Science ouverte | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Intégrité de la recherche | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Charge utile insuffisante (le modèle a refusé de juger) | 0,001 | 0,000 |
Scores machine (provisoires)
Les deux têtes enseignantes du modèle étudiant, lues sur ce travail. Un score ordonne la base pour la relecture; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie, et le statut de validation accompagne chaque rangée tel quel.
Scores de référence d'un modèle non mature (critères de maturité non atteints, 7 itérations). Un score ordonne; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · tel quel depuis la passe de notation : score_only signifie que le nombre peut ordonner les travaux, et qu'aucune étiquette de catégorie n'en découleClassification
machine, non validéePrédiction automatique; un appel candidat d’une seule source (Gemma direct ou Codex distillé), pas un consensus.
Le détail, modèle par modèle et score par score, se trouve en fin de page sous « Comment cette classification a été obtenue ».