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Non-redox-active lipoate derivates disrupt cancer cell mitochondrial metabolism and are potent anticancer agents in vivo

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Abstract

We report the analysis of CPI-613, the first member of a large set of analogs of lipoic acid (lipoate) we have investigated as potential anticancer agents. CPI-613 strongly disrupts mitochondrial metabolism, with selectivity for tumor cells in culture. This mitochondrial disruption includes activation of the well-characterized, lipoate-responsive regulatory phosphorylation of the E1α pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) subunit. This phosphorylation inactivates flux of glycolysis-derived carbon through this enzyme complex and implicates the PDH regulatory kinases (PDKs) as a possible drug target. Supporting this hypothesis, RNAi knockdown of the PDK protein levels substantially attenuates CPI-613 cancer cell killing. In both cell culture and in vivo tumor environments, the observed strong mitochondrial metabolic disruption is expected to significantly compromise cell survival. Consistent with this prediction, CPI-613 disruption of tumor mitochondrial metabolism is followed by efficient commitment to cell death by multiple, apparently redundant pathways, including apoptosis, in all tested cancer cell lines. Further, CPI-613 shows strong antitumor activity in vivo against human non-small cell lung and pancreatic cancers in xenograft models with low side-effect toxicity.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Gregg Semenza and Bob Weinberg for helpful discussions. We thank colleagues, including Pat Hearing, for help early in this project. This work was largely funded by Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals with early support from the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund and Stony Brook Biotechnology Center.

Disclosure

Maturo, Gupta, Howell, Schauble, Lem, Piramzadian, Karnik, and Lee are or were employees of Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, developers of CPI-613. Zachar, Rodriguez, Shorr, and Bingham have a financial interest in Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA

    Zuzana Zachar, Shawn D. Stuart & Paul M. Bingham

  2. Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA

    James Marecek

  3. Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Stony Brook, NY, USA

    Zuzana Zachar, Claudia Maturo, Sunita Gupta, Katy Howell, Alexandra Schauble, Joanna Lem, Arin Piramzadian, Sameer Karnik, King Lee, Robert Rodriguez, Robert Shorr & Paul M. Bingham

  4. Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Cranbury, NJ, USA

    Zuzana Zachar, Claudia Maturo, Sunita Gupta, Katy Howell, Alexandra Schauble, Joanna Lem, Arin Piramzadian, Sameer Karnik, King Lee, Robert Rodriguez, Robert Shorr & Paul M. Bingham

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  1. Zuzana Zachar
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  2. James Marecek
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  3. Claudia Maturo
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  7. Alexandra Schauble
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  8. Joanna Lem
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  9. Arin Piramzadian
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  10. Sameer Karnik
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  11. King Lee
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  12. Robert Rodriguez
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Correspondence to Paul M. Bingham.

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Zachar, Z., Marecek, J., Maturo, C. et al. Non-redox-active lipoate derivates disrupt cancer cell mitochondrial metabolism and are potent anticancer agents in vivo. J Mol Med 89, 1137–1148 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-011-0785-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-011-0785-8

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