Second generation mtor inhibitors as a double-edged sword in malignant glioma treatment

  • Glioblastomas (GBs) frequently display activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). mTOR exists as part of two multiprotein complexes, mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and 2 (mTORC2). In GBs, mTORC1 inhibitors such as rapamycin have performed poorly in clinical trials, and in vitro protect GB cells from nutrient and oxygen deprivation. Next generation ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitors with affinity for both mTOR complexes have been developed, but data exploring their effects on GB metabolism are scarce. In this study, we compared the ATP-competitive mTORC1/2 inhibitors torin2, INK-128 and NVP-Bez235 to the allosteric mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin under conditions that mimic the glioma microenvironment. In addition to inhibiting mTORC2 signaling, INK-128 and NVP-Bez235 more effectively blocked mTORC1 signaling and prompted a stronger cell growth inhibition, partly by inducing cell cycle arrest. However, under hypoxic and nutrient-poor conditions mTORC1/2 inhibitors displayed even stronger cytoprotective effects than rapamycin by reducing oxygen and glucose consumption. Thus, therapies that arrest proliferation and inhibit anabolic metabolism must be expected to improve energy homeostasis of tumor cells. These results mandate caution when treating physiologically or therapeutically induced hypoxic GBs with mTOR inhibitors.

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Metadaten
Author:Dennis Heinzen, Iris DivéGND, Nadja Irene LorenzGND, Anna-Luisa LugerORCiD, Joachim Peter SteinbachORCiDGND, Michael Wilfried RonellenfitschORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-525405
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20184474
ISSN:1422-0067
ISSN:1661-6596
Pubmed Id:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31510109
Parent Title (English):International journal of molecular sciences
Publisher:Molecular Diversity Preservation International
Place of publication:Basel
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of Completion:2019
Date of first Publication:2019/09/10
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2019/12/18
Tag:glioblastoma; hypoxia; mTOR; mTOR inhibition; starvation; tumor microenvironment
Volume:20
Issue:18, Art. 4474
Page Number:13
First Page:1
Last Page:13
Note:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
HeBIS-PPN:458201464
Institutes:Medizin / Medizin
Dewey Decimal Classification:6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Open-Access-Publikationsfonds:Medizin
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung 4.0