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Histidine catabolism is a major determinant of methotrexate sensitivity

Naama Kanarek, Heather R. Keys, Jason R. Cantor, Caroline A. Lewis, Sze Ham Chan, Tenzin Kunchok, Monther Abu-Remaileh, Elizaveta Freinkman, Lawrence D. Schweitzer and David M. Sabatini ()
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Naama Kanarek: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology
Heather R. Keys: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology
Jason R. Cantor: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology
Caroline A. Lewis: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology
Sze Ham Chan: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology
Tenzin Kunchok: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology
Monther Abu-Remaileh: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology
Elizaveta Freinkman: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology
Lawrence D. Schweitzer: Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
David M. Sabatini: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology

Nature, 2018, vol. 559, issue 7715, 632-636

Abstract: Abstract The chemotherapeutic drug methotrexate inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase1, which generates tetrahydrofolate, an essential cofactor in nucleotide synthesis2. Depletion of tetrahydrofolate causes cell death by suppressing DNA and RNA production3. Although methotrexate is widely used as an anticancer agent and is the subject of over a thousand ongoing clinical trials4, its high toxicity often leads to the premature termination of its use, which reduces its potential efficacy5. To identify genes that modulate the response of cancer cells to methotrexate, we performed a CRISPR–Cas9-based screen6,7. This screen yielded FTCD, which encodes an enzyme—formimidoyltransferase cyclodeaminase—that is required for the catabolism of the amino acid histidine8, a process that has not previously been linked to methotrexate sensitivity. In cultured cancer cells, depletion of several genes in the histidine degradation pathway markedly decreased sensitivity to methotrexate. Mechanistically, histidine catabolism drains the cellular pool of tetrahydrofolate, which is particularly detrimental to methotrexate-treated cells. Moreover, expression of the rate-limiting enzyme in histidine catabolism is associated with methotrexate sensitivity in cancer cell lines and with survival rate in patients. In vivo dietary supplementation of histidine increased flux through the histidine degradation pathway and enhanced the sensitivity of leukaemia xenografts to methotrexate. The histidine degradation pathway markedly influences the sensitivity of cancer cells to methotrexate and may be exploited to improve methotrexate efficacy through a simple dietary intervention.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0316-7

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