Different Effects of RNAi-Mediated Downregulation or Chemical Inhibition of NAMPT in an Isogenic IDH Mutant and Wild-Type Glioma Cell Model

oleh: Maximilian Clausing, Doreen William, Matthias Preussler, Julia Biedermann, Konrad Grützmann, Susan Richter, Frank Buchholz, Achim Temme, Evelin Schröck, Barbara Klink

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-05-01

Deskripsi

The IDH1<sup>R132H</sup> mutation in glioma results in the neoenzymatic function of IDH1, leading to the production of the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG), alterations in energy metabolism and changes in the cellular redox household. Although shifts in the redox ratio NADPH/NADP<sup>+</sup> were described, the consequences for the NAD<sup>+</sup> synthesis pathways and potential therapeutic interventions were largely unexplored. Here, we describe the effects of heterozygous IDH1<sup>R132H</sup> on the redox system in a CRISPR/Cas edited glioblastoma model and compare them with IDH1 wild-type (IDH1<sup>wt</sup>) cells. Besides an increase in 2-HG and decrease in NADPH, we observed an increase in NAD<sup>+</sup> in IDH1<sup>R132H</sup> glioblastoma cells. RT-qPCR analysis revealed the upregulation of the expression of the NAD<sup>+</sup> synthesis enzyme nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT). Knockdown of NAMPT resulted in significantly reduced viability in IDH1<sup>R132H</sup> glioblastoma cells. Given this dependence of IDH1<sup>R132H</sup> cells on NAMPT expression, we explored the effects of the NAMPT inhibitors FK866, GMX1778 and GNE-617. Surprisingly, these agents were equally cytotoxic to IDH1<sup>R132H</sup> and IDH1<sup>wt</sup> cells. Altogether, our results indicate that targeting the NAD<sup>+</sup> synthesis pathway is a promising therapeutic strategy in IDH mutant gliomas; however, the agent should be carefully considered since three small-molecule inhibitors of NAMPT tested in this study were not suitable for this purpose.