作者与单位 Authors & Affiliations
Elizabeth Rachel Marie Zunica1, Kim Pedersen2, Anan L. Cole3, Analisa L. Taylor3, Elizabeth C. Heintz3, Megan D. Dousay4, Bolormaa Vandanmagsar3, Monika Sharma5, Odinakhon Shamieva6, Lucas Kniess Debarba6, Marcus DaSilva Goncalves7, Tomislav Jelesijevic8, Rees G. Matthew9, Jennifer A. Roth9, Martin J. Ronis2, Christopher L. Axelrod3, John P. Kirwan1
1Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr., Baton Rouge, LA,2Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA,3Integrated Physiology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr., Baton Rouge, LA,4Integrated Physiology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr., Baton Rouge, LA,5OrsoBio Inc, Menlo Park, CA,6Department of Medicine, New York University Langone Health, New York City, NY,7NYU Langone Health, New York, NY,8School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA,9Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
摘要 Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is the fastest growing cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet the metabolic dependencies underlying MASH-HCC remain poorly defined. Here, we identify mitochondrial proton conductance as a central determinant of HCC progression and therapeutic vulnerability. Human HCC exhibited increased mitochondrial efficiency and glycolytic flux with reduced oxidative flux, consistent with large-scale HCC dependency datasets showing strong enrichment for downregulated mitochondrial pathways. To functionally interrogate this bioenergetic liability, we performed an unbiased PRISM barcoded-cell-line screen using the mitochondrial uncoupler BAM15. Lineage-level analysis revealed broad cytotoxicity with marked enrichment of sensitivity in HCC, which was validated in HepG2 cells, where BAM15 demonstrated greater potency than sorafenib, a frontline therapy for advanced HCC. We next evaluated mitochondrial uncoupling in vivo using two MASH-HCC models: (1) high-fat, fructose, and cholesterol diet with thermoneutral housing plus low-dose DEN, and (2) cocoa-butter diet plus DEN, each recapitulating metabolic injury and tumor development. In both models, BAM15 significantly reduced tumor burden and improved liver function. These effects persisted in PPARalpha-null mice, indicating that uncoupling exerts its efficacy through direct disruption of mitochondrial efficiency rather than secondary activation of fatty acid oxidation. To assess translational relevance, we tested the long-acting liver-targeted mitochondrial uncoupler TLC-1180, which similarly decreased tumor burden and improved hepatic function. Finally, liver-specific deletion of Ucp2 reduced hepatic proton conductance, increased tumorigenesis, and impaired liver function, establishing a mechanistic link between diminished uncoupling capacity and enhanced carcinogenic progression. Together, these data demonstrate that suppressed proton conductance is a fundamental metabolic adaptation that promotes HCC growth, and that enforced mitochondrial uncoupling directly counteracts this program. These findings position hepatic proton conductivity as a mechanistically grounded therapeutic target and support mitochondrial uncoupling, particularly liver-directed approaches, as a rational strategy for treating MASH-HCC.
利益披露 Disclosure
E. R. Zunica, None..
K. Pedersen, None..
A. L. Cole, None..
A. L. Taylor, None..
E. C. Heintz, None..
M. D. Dousay, None..
B. Vandanmagsar, None.
M. Sharma,
OrsoBio Inc. Employment.
O. Shamieva, None..
L. Kniess Debarba, None..
M. D. Goncalves, None..
T. Jelesijevic, None..
R. G. Matthew, None..
J. A. Roth, None..
M. J. Ronis, None.
C. L. Axelrod,
OrsoBio Inc. ).
J. P. Kirwan, None.