Abstract 4903: Levels of folate transporters impact the compartmentalization of one-carbon metabolism in the mitochondria vs cytosol providing a unique vulnerability to SHMT inhibition
Authors: Schneider Mathew Joseph , O'connor Carrie , Bao Xun , Nayeen Md. Junayed , Hou Zhanjun , Li Jing , Gangjee Aleem , Matherly Larry H. 
Published: April 2023

These studies characterize the critical role of the Reduced Folate Carrier (RFC) and the Proton Coupled Folate Transporter (PCFT) as determinants of cancer cell reliance on mitochondrial vs cytosolic one carbon (C1) metabolism, to identify a unique susceptibility towards SHMT1 and SHMT2 inhibition in cancer cells. C1 metabolism is frequently reprogrammed in cancer cells to provide nucleotides, amino acids, and glutathione, and to maintain redox homeostasis for proliferation. The mitochondrial C1 converting enzymes serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) 2 and methylene tetrahydrofolate (THF) dehydrogenase 2 (MTHFD2) are among the top overexpressed metabolic enzymes in human cancers, suggesting these are important cancer-specific targets. We previously discovered novel 5-substituted pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine antifolates (with AGF347 being the lead) that potently inhibit mitochondrial SHMT2, as well as SHMT1. Folates are essential cofactors for C1 converting reactions; folates and antifolates primarily rely on the major facilitative folate transporters RFC and PCFT for internalization by tumor cells. In these studies, we explore the effects of folate transporter expression on the compartmentalization of C1 metabolism in the mitochondria and cytosol and the potential impact on SHMT1 and SHMT2 inhibition. We used a tetracycline inducible system for RFC expression in RFC/PCFT-null HeLa cells, with and without constitutive PCFT, and characterized the impact on transport and accumulation of folates and AGF347 in response to folate transporter expression. Increased accumulation of folates was observed with increasing RFC in the absence of PCFT. In the presence of PCFT, baseline folate accumulation was substantial and independent of RFC expression, indicating a major role of PCFT as a facilitative folate transporter. SHMT2 catalyzes the conversion of serine and THF to glycine and 5, 10-methylene THF in the mitochondria, while SHMT1 catalyzes the reverse reaction in the cytosol, producing THF and serine. To determine how folate transporter expression affects the C1 flux through SHMT1 vs SHMT2, [2,3,3-2H]serine tracer experiments were performed; increased mitochondrial C1 flux through SHMT2 was observed with increasing RFC in the absence of PCFT, whereas the mitochondrial flux through SHMT2 predominated in the presence of PCFT. By cell proliferation assays it was discovered that cells with lower RFC expression exhibit a hypersensitive phenotype towards AGF347 in the absence of PCFT, indicating a unique therapeutic opportunity for targeting SHMT forms in cancer cells with low folate transport activity. Here we identify RFC and PCFT as key determinants for the compartmentalization of C1 flux in the mitochondria vs the cytosol, in turn affecting the sensitivity of cancer cells towards SHMT inhibition.

Citation Format: Mathew Joseph Schneider, Carrie O'connor, Xun Bao, Md. Junayed Nayeen, Zhanjun Hou, Jing Li, Aleem Gangjee, Larry H. Matherly. Levels of folate transporters impact the compartmentalization of one-carbon metabolism in the mitochondria vs cytosol providing a unique vulnerability to SHMT inhibition. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4903.