The Lipid Addiction of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and Potential Treatment Strategies with Novel Fatty Acid Synthase (FASN) Small Molecule Inhibitors

Background: Fatty acid (FA) metabolism is altered in several cancers through increased de novo synthesis of lipids via up-regulation fatty acid synthase (FASN) and increased utilization of lipids via β-oxidation. We investigated the dependence of DLBCL survival on FA metabolism. In addition, we examined novel FASN inhibitors TVB3567 and TVB3166 in comparison with cerulenin for the effects on cell survival and PI3K and MAPK-related biological pathways associated with tumor-related FA metabolism in DLBCL.

Methods: FASN inhibitors, TVB3567 and TVB3166 (3V Biosciences, CA), cerulenin (FASN inhibitor), orlistat (anti-lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and FASN), PI3K/mTOR, and MEK small molecule inhibitors were studied in OCI-LY3, OCI-LY19, SUDHL4, SUDHL6, and SUDHL10 DLBCL cell lines for the effects of FA inhibition on lipid metabolism, cell signaling, and cell death. The effects of FASN inhibition on global gene expression profile (GEP) were also determined with Affymetrix Human 2.0 ST Genechip with Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). We also utilized short hairpin RNA interference (shRNA) to study interactions between FASN and PI3K/MAPK signaling. Finally, AutoDock Vina software (autodock.scripps.edu) was utilized to analyze drug target (FASN enzyme) binding affinity and assist in the design of FASN inhibitors with higher target binding affinity.

Results: DLBCL cell lines OCI-LY3, SUDHL4, and SUDHL6 grown in the presence of lipoprotein-depleted serum showed exquisite sensitivity to lipid deprivation resulting in near complete cytotoxicity by MTT. Lipid deprivation-induced apoptotic cell death, detected as cleaved caspase 3 and PARP and Annexin-V/PI positivity, in these cells. Further, these effects were completely rescued by Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) supplementation to growth medium in SUDHL4 confirming the high lipid-dependency on cell survival in DLBCL. Treatment with pharmacological inhibitors of FASN (ie, TVB3567, TVB3166, cerulenin, or orlistat) resulted in a dose- and time-dependent reduction in cell viability in all DLBCL cell lines. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) from GEP with cerulenin-treated OCI-LY3 showed prominent suppression of CD40, TNF, and NFκB dependent inflammatory responses as well as activation of apoptosis as predominant biological activities including significant down-regulation of genes involved in Krebs cycle and p38 MAPK pathways. Interestingly, upstream regulation by IPA predicted activation of MEK/ERK and MYC-dependent functions; and in OCI-LY3 with shRNA knock down of FASN, we observed constitutive activation of ERK as detected with increased phosphorylation by western blot. Activation of MEK/ERK and MYC is expected in part owing to metabolic stress induced by FASN inhibition. Considering the impact of MEK/ERK pathways on lipid metabolism, we next investigated the impact of MEK/ERK on FA metabolism. FASN was significantly decreased following MEK or ERK shRNA in OCILY-3 and SUDHL10 cells. Similarly, pharmacological inhibition of MEK or PI3K/mTOR (using novel small molecule agents AZD6244 (selumetinib) or BEZ235, respectively) resulted in marked down-regulation of FASN expression. Based on these results, FASN inhibition appears to a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of DLBCL, however attaining clinical efficacy with existing compounds require the effective drug concentration to be within the nanomolar range. Thus, we utilized AutoDock to determine drug docking enzyme inhibition constant (ki). We identified high ki values of 33μM and 180μM for Cerulenin and Orilstat, respectively. Therefore, we have developed/constructed modified novel and potent anti-FA compounds with ki <1μM that are currently being investigated.

Conclusions: Collectively, we demonstrated that DLBCL cell survival is highly dependent on FA metabolism and that targeting lipid metabolism may be harnessed as a potential therapeutic strategy. We also showed that MEK/ERK-dependent mechanisms are intimately involved in promoting lipid addiction in DLBCL cells. Further investigation is warranted to delineate the mechanisms through which MEK/ERK regulate FASN expression and to determine in vivo implications of FASN inhibition on DLBCL tumor growth. In addition, continued development, design, and enhancement are needed to construct the most optimal anti-FA therapeutic agents.