xCT (SLC7A11)-mediated metabolic reprogramming promotes non-small cell lung cancer progression.

Many tumors increase uptake and dependence on glucose, cystine or glutamine. These basic observations on cancer cell metabolism have opened multiple new diagnostic and therapeutic avenues in cancer research. Recent studies demonstrated that smoking could induce the expression of xCT (SLC7A11) in oral cancer cells, suggesting that overexpression of xCT may support lung tumor progression. We hypothesized that overexpression of xCT occurs in lung cancer cells to satisfy the metabolic requirements for growth and survival. Our results demonstrated that 1) xCT was highly expressed at the cytoplasmic membrane in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 2) the expression of xCT was correlated with advanced stage and predicted a worse 5-year survival, 3) targeting xCT transport activity in xCT overexpressing NSCLC cells with sulfasalazine decreased cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and in vivo and 4) increased dependence on glutamine was observed in xCT overexpressed normal airway epithelial cells. These results suggested that xCT regulate metabolic requirements during lung cancer progression and be a potential therapeutic target in NSCLC.

The airway epithelium undergoes metabolic reprogramming in individuals at high risk for lung cancer.

The molecular determinants of lung cancer risk remain largely unknown. Airway epithelial cells are prone to assault by risk factors and are considered to be the primary cell type involved in the field of cancerization. To investigate risk-associated changes in the bronchial epithelium proteome that may offer new insights into the molecular pathogenesis of lung cancer, proteins were identified in the airway epithelial cells of bronchial brushing specimens from risk-stratified individuals by shotgun proteomics. Differential expression of selected proteins was validated by parallel reaction monitoring mass spectrometry in an independent set of individual bronchial brushings. We identified 2,869 proteins, of which 312 proteins demonstrated a trend in expression. Pathway analysis revealed enrichment of carbohydrate metabolic enzymes in high-risk individuals. Glucose consumption and lactate production were increased in human bronchial epithelial BEAS2B cells treated with cigarette smoke condensate for 7 months. Increased lipid biosynthetic capacity and net reductive carboxylation were revealed by metabolic flux analyses of [U-13C5] glutamine in this in vitro model, suggesting profound metabolic reprogramming in the airway epithelium of high-risk individuals. These results provide a rationale for the development of potentially new chemopreventive strategies and selection of patients for surveillance programs.

Inhibition of the Biosynthesis of Prostaglandin E2 By Low-Dose Aspirin: Implications for Adenocarcinoma Metastasis.

Meta-analyses have demonstrated that low-dose aspirin reduces the risk of developing adenocarcinoma metastasis, and when colon cancer is detected during aspirin treatment, there is a remarkable 83% reduction in risk of metastasis. As platelets participate in the metastatic process, the antiplatelet action of low-dose aspirin likely contributes to its antimetastatic effect. Cycloxooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-derived prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) also contributes to metastasis, and we addressed the hypothesis that low-dose aspirin also inhibits PGE2 biosynthesis. We show that low-dose aspirin inhibits systemic PGE2 biosynthesis by 45% in healthy volunteers (P < 0.0001). Aspirin is found to be more potent in colon adenocarcinoma cells than in the platelet, and in lung adenocarcinoma cells, its inhibition is equivalent to that in the platelet. Inhibition of COX by aspirin in colon cancer cells is in the context of the metastasis of colon cancer primarily to the liver, the organ exposed to the same high concentrations of aspirin as the platelet. We find that the interaction of activated platelets with lung adenocarcinoma cells upregulates COX-2 expression and PGE2 biosynthesis, and inhibition of platelet COX-1 by aspirin inhibits PGE2 production by the platelet-tumor cell aggregates. In conclusion, low-dose aspirin has a significant effect on extraplatelet cyclooxygenase and potently inhibits COX-2 in lung and colon adenocarcinoma cells. This supports a hypothesis that the remarkable prevention of metastasis from adenocarcinomas, and particularly from colon adenocarcinomas, by low-dose aspirin results from its effect on platelet COX-1 combined with inhibition of PGE2 biosynthesis in metastasizing tumor cells. Cancer Prev Res; 9(11); 855-65. ©2016 AACR.

Preclinical Evaluation of 4-[18F]Fluoroglutamine PET to Assess ASCT2 Expression in Lung Cancer.

PURPOSE: Alanine-serine-cysteine transporter 2 (ASCT2) expression has been demonstrated as a promising lung cancer biomarker. (2S,4R)-4-[(18)F]Fluoroglutamine (4-[(18)F]fluoro-Gln) positron emission tomography (PET) was evaluated in preclinical models of non-small cell lung cancer as a quantitative, non-invasive measure of ASCT2 expression. PROCEDURES: In vivo microPET studies of 4-[(18)F]fluoro-Gln uptake were undertaken in human cell line xenograft tumor-bearing mice of varying ASCT2 levels, followed by a genetically engineered mouse model of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant lung cancer. The relationship between a tracer accumulation and ASCT2 levels in tumors was evaluated by IHC and immunoblotting. RESULT: 4-[(18)F]Fluoro-Gln uptake, but not 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose, correlated with relative ASCT2 levels in xenograft tumors. In genetically engineered mice, 4-[(18)F]fluoro-Gln accumulation was significantly elevated in lung tumors, relative to normal lung and cardiac tissues. CONCLUSIONS: 4-[(18)F]Fluoro-Gln PET appears to provide a non-invasive measure of ASCT2 expression. Given the potential of ASCT2 as a lung cancer biomarker, this and other tracers reflecting ASCT2 levels could emerge as precision imaging diagnostics in this setting.

Targeting SLC1a5-mediated glutamine dependence in non-small cell lung cancer.

We previously elucidated the pleotropic role of solute carrier family A1 member 5 (SLC1A5) as the primary transporter of glutamine (Gln), a modulator of cell growth and oxidative stress in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of our study was to evaluate SLC1A5 as a potential new therapeutic target and candidate biomarker predictive of survival and response to therapy. SLC1A5 targeting was examined in a panel of NSCLC and human bronchial cell lines by RNA interference and by a small molecular inhibitor, gamma-l-glutamyl-p-nitroanilide (GPNA). The effects of targeting SLC1A5 on cell growth, Gln uptake, ATP level, autophagy and cell death were examined. Inactivation of SLC1A5 genetically or pharmacologically decreased Gln consumption, inhibited cell growth, induced autophagy and apoptosis in a subgroup of NSCLC cell lines that overexpress SLC1A5. Targeting SLC1A5 function decreased tumor growth in NSCLC xenografts. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis indicates that patients with increased SLC1A5 mRNA expression have significantly shorter overall survival (p = 0.01, HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.05-1.46), adjusted for age, gender, smoking history and disease stage. In an immunohistochemistry study on 207 NSCLC patients, SLC1A5 protein expression remained highly significant prognostic value in both univariate (p < 0.0001, HR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.15-1.50) and multivariate analyses (p = 0.04, HR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.01-1.31). These results position SLC1A5 as a new candidate prognostic biomarker for selective targeting of Gln-dependent NSCLC.

The RNA binding protein FXR1 is a new driver in the 3q26-29 amplicon and predicts poor prognosis in human cancers.

Aberrant expression of RNA-binding proteins has profound implications for cellular physiology and the pathogenesis of human diseases such as cancer. We previously identified the Fragile X-Related 1 gene (FXR1) as one amplified candidate driver gene at 3q26-29 in lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). FXR1 is an autosomal paralog of Fragile X mental retardation 1 and has not been directly linked to human cancers. Here we demonstrate that FXR1 is a key regulator of tumor progression and its overexpression is critical for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell growth in vitro and in vivo. We identified the mechanisms by which FXR1 executes its regulatory function by forming a novel complex with two other oncogenes, protein kinase C, iota and epithelial cell transforming 2, located in the same amplicon via distinct binding mechanisms. FXR1 expression is a candidate biomarker predictive of poor survival in multiple solid tumors including NSCLCs. Because FXR1 is overexpressed and associated with poor clinical outcomes in multiple cancers, these results have implications for other solid malignancies.

SLC1A5 mediates glutamine transport required for lung cancer cell growth and survival.

PURPOSE: We have previously identified solute-linked carrier family A1 member 5 (SLC1A5) as an overexpressed protein in a shotgun proteomic analysis of stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) when compared with matched controls. We hypothesized that overexpression of SLC1A5 occurs to meet the metabolic demand for lung cancer cell growth and survival. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: To test our hypothesis, we first analyzed the protein expression of SLC1A5 in archival lung cancer tissues by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting (N = 98) and in cell lines (N = 36). To examine SLC1A5 involvement in amino acid transportation, we conducted kinetic analysis of l-glutamine (Gln) uptake in lung cancer cell lines in the presence and absence of a pharmacologic inhibitor of SLC1A5, gamma-l-Glutamyl-p-Nitroanilide (GPNA). Finally, we examined the effect of Gln deprivation and uptake inhibition on cell growth, cell-cycle progression, and growth signaling pathways of five lung cancer cell lines. RESULTS: Our results show that (i) SLC1A5 protein is expressed in 95% of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), 74% of adenocarcinomas (ADC), and 50% of neuroendocrine tumors; (ii) SLC1A5 is located at the cytoplasmic membrane and is significantly associated with SCC histology and male gender; (iii) 68% of Gln is transported in a Na(+)-dependent manner, 50% of which is attributed to SLC1A5 activity; and (iv) pharmacologic and genetic targeting of SLC1A5 decreased cell growth and viability in lung cancer cells, an effect mediated in part by mTOR signaling. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that SLC1A5 plays a key role in Gln transport controlling lung cancer cells' metabolism, growth, and survival.

In-depth proteomic analysis of nonsmall cell lung cancer to discover molecular targets and candidate biomarkers.

Advances in proteomic analysis of human samples are driving critical aspects of biomarker discovery and the identification of molecular pathways involved in disease etiology. Toward that end, in this report we are the first to use a standardized shotgun proteomic analysis method for in-depth tissue protein profiling of the two major subtypes of nonsmall cell lung cancer and normal lung tissues. We identified 3621 proteins from the analysis of pooled human samples of squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and control specimens. In addition to proteins previously shown to be implicated in lung cancer, we have identified new pathways and multiple new differentially expressed proteins of potential interest as therapeutic targets or diagnostic biomarkers, including some that were not identified by transcriptome profiling. Up-regulation of these proteins was confirmed by multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry. A subset of these proteins was found to be detectable and differentially present in the peripheral blood of cases and matched controls. Label-free shotgun proteomic analysis allows definition of lung tumor proteomes, identification of biomarker candidates, and potential targets for therapy.