Selective inhibition of beta-F1-ATPase mRNA translation in human tumours.

Down-regulation of beta-F1-ATPase (the catalytic subunit of the mitochondrial H+-ATP synthase) is a hallmark of many human tumours. The expression level of beta-F1-ATPase provides a marker of the prognosis of cancer patients, as well as of the tumour response to chemotherapy. However, the mechanisms that participate in down-regulating its expression in human tumours remain unknown. In the present study, we have investigated the expression of beta-F1-ATPase mRNA (termed beta-mRNA) in breast, colon and lung adenocarcinomas and squamous carcinomas of the lung. Despite the down-regulation of the protein, tumour beta-mRNA levels remained either unchanged (breast and lung adenocarcinomas) or significantly increased (colon and squamous lung carcinomas) when compared with paired normal tissues, suggesting a specific translation-masking event for beta-mRNA in human cancer. Consistently, we show using cell-free translation assays that a large fraction (approximately 70%) of protein extracts derived from breast and lung adenocarcinomas specifically repress the translation of beta-mRNA. We show that the 3'UTR (3' untranslated region) of human beta-mRNA is a relevant cis-acting element required for efficient translation of the transcript. However, an RNA chimaera bearing the 3'UTR of human beta-mRNA does not recapitulate the inhibitory effect of tumour extracts on beta-mRNA translation. Overall, the findings of the present study support the hypothesis that down-regulation of the bioenergetic activity of mitochondria in human tumours is exerted by translation silencing of beta-mRNA.

Breast carcinomas fulfill the Warburg hypothesis and provide metabolic markers of cancer prognosis.

The aim of this study was to investigate selected proteomic markers of the metabolic phenotype of breast carcinomas as prognostic markers of cancer progression. For this purpose, a series of 101 breast carcinomas and 13 uninvolved breast samples were examined for quantitative differences in protein expression of mitochondrial and glycolytic markers. The beta-subunit of the mitochondrial H(+)-ATP synthase (beta-F1-ATPase) and heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60), and the glycolytic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase were identified by immunological techniques. Correlations of the expression level of the protein markers and of the ratios derived from them were established with the clinicopathological information of the tumors and the follow-up data of the patients. The metabolic proteome of breast cancer specimens revealed a pronounced shift towards an enhanced glycolytic phenotype concurrent with a profound alteration on the mitochondrial beta-F1-ATPase/Hsp60 ratio when compared with normal samples. Discriminant analysis using markers of the metabolic signature as predictor variables revealed a classification sensitivity of approximately 97%. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that several of the proteomic variables significantly correlated with overall and disease-free survival of the patients. The expression level of beta-F1-ATPase per se allowed the identification of a subgroup of breast cancer patients with significantly worse prognosis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that tumor expression of beta-F1-ATPase is a significant marker independent from clinical variables to assess the prognosis of the patients. We conclude that the alteration of the mitochondrial and glycolytic proteomes is a hallmark feature of breast cancer further providing relevant markers to aid in the prognosis of breast cancer patients.

The bioenergetic signature of lung adenocarcinomas is a molecular marker of cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the mitochondrial bioenergetic signature of lung adenocarcinomas as a prognostic marker of cancer progression. For this purpose, a series of 90 lung adenocarcinomas and 10 uninvolved lung samples were examined for quantitative differences in protein expression using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The beta subunit of the mitochondrial H(+)-ATP synthase (beta-F1-ATPase) and heat shock protein 60 (Hsp 60), and the glycolytic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), used to define the bioenergetic cellular (BEC) index, were identified using mass spectrometry and specific antibodies. Correlations of the expression level of the protein markers and of the BEC index were established with the clinicopathological information of the tumors and the follow-up data of the patients. The expression of beta-F1-ATPase is significantly reduced in lung adenocarcinomas in the absence of significant changes in the expression of Hsp 60 and of a major GAPDH isoform. Cross-validation analysis using the beta-F1-ATPase/Hsp 60 ratio and GAPDH expression as predictor variables revealed a classification sensitivity of 97.3%. The beta-F1-ATPase/Hsp 60 ratio is significantly higher in well differentiated and bronchioloalveolar tumors than in moderate or poorly differentiated and in bronchial-derived tumors. The BEC index of T1 tumors was significantly higher than that of T2 tumors. Likewise, stage IA tumors had a higher BEC index than stage IB tumors. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis using the BEC index as predictor of survival revealed that within tumors of the same size or stage I or with no lymph node metastasis (N0) the patients bearing 'low' BEC index tumors had a significant worse prognosis. We conclude that the bioenergetic signature of lung adenocarcinomas is altered, further providing a relevant marker for the diagnosis and classification of lung adenocarcinomas, and for the prognosis of lung cancer patients.

Alteration of the bioenergetic phenotype of mitochondria is a hallmark of breast, gastric, lung and oesophageal cancer.

Recent findings indicate that the expression of the beta-catalytic subunit of the mitochondrial H+-ATP synthase (beta-F1-ATPase) is depressed in liver, kidney and colon carcinomas, providing further a bioenergetic signature of cancer that is associated with patient survival. In the present study, we performed an analysis of mitochondrial and glycolytic protein markers in breast, gastric and prostate adenocarcinomas, and in squamous oesophageal and lung carcinomas. The expression of mitochondrial and glycolytic markers varied significantly in these carcinomas, when compared with paired normal tissues, with the exception of prostate cancer. Overall, the relative expression of beta-F1-ATPase was significantly reduced in breast and gastric adenocarcinomas, as well as in squamous oesophageal and lung carcinomas, strongly suggesting that alteration of the bioenergetic function of mitochondria is a hallmark of these types of cancer.