Abstract
Cancer cells display metabolic plasticity to survive stresses in the tumor microenvironment. Cellular adaptation to energetic stress is coordinated in part by signaling through the liver kinase B1 (LKB1)-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway. Here, we demonstrate that miRNA-mediated silencing of LKB1 confers sensitivity of lymphoma cells to mitochondrial inhibition by biguanides. Using both classic (phenformin) and newly developed (IM156) biguanides, we demonstrate that elevated miR-17∼92 expression in Myc+ lymphoma cells promotes increased apoptosis to biguanide treatment in vitro and in vivo. This effect is driven by the miR-17-dependent silencing of LKB1, which reduces AMPK activation in response to complex I inhibition. Mechanistically, biguanide treatment induces metabolic stress in Myc+ lymphoma cells by inhibiting TCA cycle metabolism and mitochondrial respiration, exposing metabolic vulnerability. Finally, we demonstrate a direct correlation between miR-17∼92 expression and biguanide sensitivity in human cancer cells. Our results identify miR-17∼92 expression as a potential biomarker for biguanide sensitivity in malignancies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 100014 |
| Journal | Cell Reports Medicine |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 19 May 2020 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- AMPK
- LKB1
- Myc
- OXPHOS inhibitor
- biguanide
- energy-sensing
- lymphoma
- metabolic vulnerabilities
- microRNA