Keizo Takenaga

Mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) occur at high frequency in human tumors, but whether these mutations alter tumor cell behavior has been unclear. We used cytoplasmic hybrid (cybrid) technology to replace the endogenous mtDNA in a mouse tumor cell line that was poorly metastatic with mtDNA from a cell line that was highly metastatic, and vice versa. Using assays of metastasis in mice, we found that the recipient tumor cells acquired the metastatic potential of the transferred mtDNA. The mtDNA conferring high metastatic potential contained G13997A and 13885insC mutations in the gene encoding NADH (reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) dehydrogenase subunit 6 (ND6). These mutations produced a deficiency in respiratory complex I activity and were associated with overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Pretreatment of the highly metastatic tumor cells with ROS scavengers suppressed their metastatic potential in mice. These results indicate that mtDNA mutations can contribute to tumor progression by enhancing the metastatic potential of tumor cells.

Cancer cells in the tumour microenvironment use various mechanisms to evade the immune system, particularly T cell attack1. For example, metabolic reprogramming in the tumour microenvironment and mitochondrial dysfunction in tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) impair antitumour immune responses2–4. However, detailed mechanisms of such processes remain unclear. Here we analyse clinical specimens and identify mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in TILs that are shared with cancer cells. Moreover, mitochondria with mtDNA mutations from cancer cells are able to transfer to TILs. Typically, mitochondria in TILs readily undergo mitophagy through reactive oxygen species. However, mitochondria transferred from cancer cells do not undergo mitophagy, which we find is due to mitophagy-inhibitory molecules. These molecules attach to mitochondria and together are transferred to TILs, which results in homoplasmic replacement. T cells that acquire mtDNA mutations from cancer cells exhibit metabolic abnormalities and senescence, with defects in effector functions and memory formation. This in turn leads to impaired antitumour immunity both in vitro and in vivo. Accordingly, the presence of an mtDNA mutation in tumour tissue is a poor prognostic factor for immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with melanoma or non-small-cell lung cancer. These findings reveal a previously unknown mechanism of cancer immune evasion through mitochondrial transfer and can contribute to the development of future cancer immunotherapies. Mitochondria with mutations in their DNA from cancer cells can be transferred to T cells in the tumour microenvironment, which leads to T cell dysfunction and impaired antitumour immunity.

The cDNA coding for mouse fibroblast tropomyosin isoform 2 (TM2) was placed into a bacterial expression vector to produce a fusion protein containing glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and TM2 (GST/TM2). Glutathione-Sepharose beads bearing GST/TM2 were incubated with [35S]methionine-labeled NIH 3T3 cell extracts and the materials bound to the fusion proteins were analyzed to identify proteins that interact with TM2. A protein of 10 kD was found to bind to GST/TM2, but not to GST. The binding of the 10-kD protein to GST/TM2 was dependent on the presence of Ca2+ and inhibited by molar excess of free TM2 in a competition assay. The 10-kD protein-binding site was mapped to the region spanning residues 39-107 on TM2 by using several COOH-terminal and NH2-terminal truncation mutants of TM2. The 10-kD protein was isolated from an extract of NIH 3T3 cells transformed by v-Ha-ras by affinity chromatography on a GST/TM2 truncation mutant followed by SDS-PAGE and electroelution. Partial amino acid sequence analysis of the purified 10-kD protein, two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel analysis and a binding experiment revealed that the 10-kD protein was identical to a calcium-binding protein derived from mRNA named pEL98 or 18A2 that is homologous to S100 protein. Immunoblot analysis of the distribution of the 10-kD protein in Triton-soluble and -insoluble fractions of NIH 3T3 cells revealed that some of the 10-kD protein was associated with the Triton-insoluble cytoskeletal residue in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. Furthermore, immunofluorescent staining of NIH 3T3 cells showed that some of the 10-kD protein colocalized with nonmuscle TMs in microfilament bundles. These results suggest that some of the pEL98 protein interacts with microfilament-associated nonmuscle TMs in NIH 3T3 cells.

Lewis lung carcinoma-derived high metastatic A11 cells constitutively overexpress hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α mRNA compared with low metastatic P29 cells. Because A11 cells exclusively possess a G13997A mutation in the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6 (ND6) gene, we addressed here a causal relationship between the ND6 mutation and the activation of HIF-1α transcription, and we investigated the potential mechanism. Using trans-mitochondrial cybrids between A11 and P29 cells, we found that the ND6 mutation was directly involved in HIF-1α mRNA overexpression. Stimulation of HIF-1α transcription by the ND6 mutation was mediated by overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt and protein kinase C (PKC) signaling pathways. The up-regulation of HIF-1α transcription was abolished by mithramycin A, an Sp1 inhibitor, but luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays indicated that Sp1 was necessary but not sufficient for HIF-1α mRNA overexpression in A11 cells. On the other hand, trichostatin A, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, markedly suppressed HIF-1α transcription in A11 cells. In accordance with this, HDAC activity was high in A11 cells but low in P29 cells and in A11 cells treated with the ROS scavenger ebselene, the PI3K inhibitor LY294002, and the PKC inhibitor Ro31-8220. These results suggest that the ROS-generating ND6 mutation increases HIF-1α transcription via the PI3K-Akt/PKC/HDAC pathway, leading to HIF-1α protein accumulation in hypoxic tumor cells. Lewis lung carcinoma-derived high metastatic A11 cells constitutively overexpress hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α mRNA compared with low metastatic P29 cells. Because A11 cells exclusively possess a G13997A mutation in the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6 (ND6) gene, we addressed here a causal relationship between the ND6 mutation and the activation of HIF-1α transcription, and we investigated the potential mechanism. Using trans-mitochondrial cybrids between A11 and P29 cells, we found that the ND6 mutation was directly involved in HIF-1α mRNA overexpression. Stimulation of HIF-1α transcription by the ND6 mutation was mediated by overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt and protein kinase C (PKC) signaling pathways. The up-regulation of HIF-1α transcription was abolished by mithramycin A, an Sp1 inhibitor, but luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays indicated that Sp1 was necessary but not sufficient for HIF-1α mRNA overexpression in A11 cells. On the other hand, trichostatin A, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, markedly suppressed HIF-1α transcription in A11 cells. In accordance with this, HDAC activity was high in A11 cells but low in P29 cells and in A11 cells treated with the ROS scavenger ebselene, the PI3K inhibitor LY294002, and the PKC inhibitor Ro31-8220. These results suggest that the ROS-generating ND6 mutation increases HIF-1α transcription via the PI3K-Akt/PKC/HDAC pathway, leading to HIF-1α protein accumulation in hypoxic tumor cells.