MFF Regulation of Mitochondrial Cell Death Is a Therapeutic Target in Cancer

• Published in: Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Vol. 79; no. 24; pp. 6215 - 6226
• Main Authors: Seo, Jae Ho, Chae, Young Chan, Kossenkov, Andrew V, Lee, Yu Geon, Tang, Hsin-Yao, Agarwal, Ekta, Gabrilovich, Dmitry I, Languino, Lucia R, Speicher, David W, Shastrula, Prashanth K, Storaci, Alessandra Maria, Ferrero, Stefano, Gaudioso, Gabriella, Caroli, Manuela, Tosi, Davide, Giroda, Massimo, Vaira, Valentina, Rebecca, Vito W, Herlyn, Meenhard, Xiao, Min, Fingerman, Dylan, Martorella, Alessandra, Skordalakes, Emmanuel, Altieri, Dario C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 15.12.2019
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis - drug effects; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - pathology; Cell Line, Tumor; Humans; Lung Neoplasms - drug therapy; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Male; Membrane Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Membrane Proteins - metabolism; Mice; Mitochondria - drug effects; Mitochondria - metabolism; Mitochondria - pathology; Mitochondrial Dynamics - drug effects; Mitochondrial Membranes - drug effects; Mitochondrial Membranes - pathology; Mitochondrial Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Mitochondrial Proteins - metabolism; Permeability - drug effects; Protein Multimerization - drug effects; Voltage-Dependent Anion Channel 1 - antagonists & inhibitors; Voltage-Dependent Anion Channel 1 - metabolism; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
• ISSN: 0008-5472; 1538-7445
• DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-19-1982

The regulators of mitochondrial cell death in cancer have remained elusive, hampering the development of new therapies. Here, we showed that protein isoforms of mitochondrial fission factor (MFF1 and MFF2), a molecule that controls mitochondrial size and shape, that is, mitochondrial dynamics, were overexpressed in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and formed homo- and heterodimeric complexes with the voltage-dependent anion channel-1 (VDAC1), a key regulator of mitochondrial outer membrane permeability. MFF inserted into the interior hole of the VDAC1 ring using Arg225, Arg236, and Gln241 as key contact sites. A cell-permeable MFF Ser223-Leu243 d-enantiomeric peptidomimetic disrupted the MFF-VDAC1 complex, acutely depolarized mitochondria, and triggered cell death in heterogeneous tumor types, including drug-resistant melanoma, but had no effect on normal cells. In preclinical models, treatment with the MFF peptidomimetic was well-tolerated and demonstrated anticancer activity in patient-derived xenografts, primary breast and lung adenocarcinoma 3D organoids, and glioblastoma neurospheres. These data identify the MFF-VDAC1 complex as a novel regulator of mitochondrial cell death and an actionable therapeutic target in cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings describe mitochondrial fission regulation using a peptidomimetic agent that disturbs the MFF-VDAC complex and displays anticancer activity in multiple tumor models. .