Induction of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase-3 by Hypoxia-inducible Factor-1 Promotes Metabolic Switch and Drug Resistance

• Published in: The Journal of biological chemistry Vol. 283; no. 42; pp. 28106 - 28114
• Main Authors: Lu, Chun-Wun, Lin, Shih-Chieh, Chen, Ko-Fan, Lai, Yen-Yu, Tsai, Shaw-Jenq
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 17.10.2008; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Subjects: Cell Differentiation; Cell Hypoxia; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; Drug Resistance; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Gene Expression Regulation; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; HeLa Cells; Humans; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 - genetics; Models, Biological; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases - biosynthesis; Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Acetyl-Transferring Kinase; RNA, Small Interfering - metabolism
• ISSN: 0021-9258; 1083-351X
• DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M803508200

The switch of cellular metabolism from mitochondrial respiration to glycolysis is the hallmark of cancer cells and associated with tumor malignancy. However, the mechanism of this metabolic switch remains largely unknown. Herein, we reported that hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) induced pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-3 (PDK3) expression leading to inhibition of mitochondrial respiration. Promoter activity assay, small interference RNA knockdown assay, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated that hypoxia-induced PDK3 gene activity was regulated by HIF-1 at the transcriptional level. Forced expression of PDK3 in cancer cells resulted in increased lactic acid accumulation and drugs resistance, whereas knocking down PDK3 inhibited hypoxia-induced cytoplasmic glycolysis and cell survival. These data demonstrated that increased PDK3 expression due to elevated HIF-1α in cancer cells may play critical roles in metabolic switch during cancer progression and chemoresistance in cancer therapy.