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Biomedical subjects

Ozgur Sahin

Publications and source records attributed to Ozgur Sahin.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Lysyl oxidase inhibition disrupts mitochondrial homeostasis to create vulnerability to ferroptosis in TNBC.

High metabolic heterogeneity and plasticity of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) contribute to therapy resistance, necessitating identification of therapeutic vulnerabilities. Here, we identify non-canonical functions of the extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeler, lysyl oxidase (LOX), in regulating glucose metabolism and mitochondrial homeostasis and show that inhibiting LOX generates targetable vulnerability to ferroptosis. Mechanistically, LOX interacts with PARKIN and its upstream kinase PINK1, which we identified as a substrate of LOX. LOX-mediated PINK1 oxidation suppresses PARKIN phosphorylation, stabilizing hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) and increasing glycolysis. Concomitantly, LOX inhibits PARKIN-mediated mitophagy and maintains mitochondria-ER contacts through VDAC1 stabilization, while the LOX-HSP90 complex promotes mitochondrial Ca2+ transport and ATP production. Inhibiting LOX suppresses glycolysis, disrupts mitochondrial dynamics, reduces OXPHOS and GPX4/FSP1, and induces compensatory DHODH activity. Our "one-two punch" approach combining LOX inhibition with clinical DHODH inhibitor suppresses tumor growth in vivo in chemo-free setting. Notably, LOX protein correlates with HIF-1α/GLUT1/GPX4 in TNBC patient tumors, supporting its clinical relevance.

Ferroptosis

Polyol pathway-generated fructose is indispensable for growth and survival of non-small cell lung cancer.

Despite recent treatment advances, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and therefore it necessitates the exploration of new therapy options. One commonly shared feature of malignant cells is their ability to hijack metabolic pathways to confer survival or proliferation. In this study, we highlight the importance of the polyol pathway (PP) in NSCLC metabolism. This pathway is solely responsible for metabolizing glucose to fructose based on the enzymatic activity of aldose reductase (AKR1B1) and sorbitol dehydrogenase (SORD). Via genetic and pharmacological manipulations, we reveal that PP activity is indispensable for NSCLC growth and survival in vitro and in murine xenograft models. Mechanistically, PP deficiency provokes multifactorial deficits, ranging from energetic breakdown and DNA damage, that ultimately trigger the induction of apoptosis. At the molecular level, this process is driven by pro-apoptotic JNK signaling and concomitant upregulation of the transcription factors c-Jun and ATF3. Moreover, we show that fructose, the PP end-product, as well as other non-glycolytic hexoses confer survival to cancer cells and resistance against chemotherapy via sustained NF-κB activity as well as an oxidative switch in metabolism. Given the detrimental consequence of PP gene targeting on growth and survival, we propose PP pathway interference as a viable therapeutic approach against NSCLC.

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung