Copyright © 2008 Cell Press. All rights reserved.
Chemistry and Biology, Vol 15, 234-245, 21 March 2008

Article

Synthetic Lethal Screening Identifies Compounds Activating Iron-Dependent, Nonapoptotic Cell Death in Oncogenic-RAS-Harboring Cancer Cells

Wan Seok Yang1 and Brent R. Stockwell1,2,

1 Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, Fairchild Center, MC2406, 1212 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
2 Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, Fairchild Center, MC2406, 1212 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA

∗Corresponding author
Brent R. Stockwell
stockwell@biology.columbia.edu


Summary


We screened small molecules to identify two compounds, which we named RSL3 and RSL5, that have increased lethality in the presence of oncogenic RAS. Counter screening with biologically active compounds defined aspects of the mechanism of action for RSL3 and RSL5, such as a nonapoptotic, MEK-dependent, and iron-dependent oxidative cell death. Erastin, a previously reported compound with RAS-selective lethality, showed similar properties. RNA interference experiments targeting voltage-dependent anion channel 3 (VDAC3), a target of erastin, demonstrated that RSL5 is a scaffold that acts through VDACs to activate the observed pathway. RSL3 activated a similar death mechanism but in a VDAC-independent manner. We found that cells transformed with oncogenic RAS have increased iron content relative to their normal cell counterparts through upregulation of transferrin receptor 1 and downregulation of ferritin heavy chain 1 and ferritin light chain.

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