L-Lysine α-Oxidase: Enzyme with Anticancer Properties.

L-lysine α-oxidase (LO), one of L-amino acid oxidases, deaminates L-lysine with the yield of H2O2, ammonia, and α-keto-ε-aminocaproate. Multiple in vitro and in vivo studies have reported cytotoxic, antitumor, antimetastatic, and antitumor activity of LO. Unlike asparaginase, LO has a dual mechanism of action: depletion of L-lysine and formation of H2O2, both targeting tumor growth. Prominent results were obtained on murine and human tumor models, including human colon cancer xenografts HCT 116, LS174T, and T47D with maximum T/C 12, 37, and 36%, respectively. The data obtained from human cancer xenografts in immunodeficient mice confirm the potential of LO as an agent for colon cancer treatment. In this review, we discuss recently discovered molecular mechanisms of biological action and the potential of LO as anticancer enzyme.

Fungal Enzyme l-Lysine α-Oxidase Affects the Amino Acid Metabolism in the Brain and Decreases the Polyamine Level.

The fungal glycoprotein l-lysine α-oxidase (LO) catalyzes the oxidative deamination of l-lysine (l-lys). LO may be internalized in the intestine and shows antitumor, antibacterial, and antiviral effects in vivo. The main mechanisms of its effects have been shown to be depletion of the essential amino acid l-lys and action of reactive oxidative species produced by the reaction. Here, we report that LO penetrates into the brain and is retained there for up to 48 h after intravenous injection, which might be explained by specific pharmacokinetics. LO actively intervenes in amino acid metabolism in the brain. The most significant impact of LO was towards amino acids, which are directly exposed to its action (l-lys, l-orn, l-arg). In addition, the enzyme significantly affected the redistribution of amino acids directly associated with the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (l-asp and l-glu). We discovered that the depletion of l-orn, the precursor of polyamines (PA), led to a significant and long-term decrease in the concentration of polyamines, which are responsible for regulation of many processes including cell proliferation. Thus, LO may be used to reduce levels of l-lys and PA in the brain.

Lysine oxidase exposes a dependency on the thioredoxin antioxidant pathway in triple-negative breast cancer cells.

PURPOSE: Transformed cells are vulnerable to depletion of certain amino acids. Lysine oxidase (LO) catalyzes the oxidative deamination of lysine, resulting in lysine depletion and hydrogen peroxide production. Although LO has broad antitumor activity in preclinical models, the cytotoxic mechanisms of LO are poorly understood. METHODS: Triple (ER/PR/HER2)-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells were treated with control media, lysine-free media or control media supplemented with LO and examined for cell viability, caspase activation, induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant signaling. To determine the role of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and thioredoxin reductase-1 (TXNRD1) in LO-induced cell death, NRF2 and TXNRD1 were individually silenced by RNAi. Additionally, the pan-TXNRD inhibitor auranofin was used in combination with LO. RESULTS: LO activates caspase-independent cell death that is suppressed by necroptosis and ferroptosis inhibitors, which are inactive against lysine depletion, pointing to fundamental differences between LO and lysine depletion. LO rapidly induces ROS with a return to baseline levels within 24 h that coincides temporally with induction of TXNRD activity, the rate-limiting enzyme in the thioredoxin antioxidant pathway. ROS induction is required for LO-mediated cell death and NRF2-dependent induction of TXNRD1. Silencing NRF2 or TXNRD1 enhances the cytotoxicity of LO. The pan-TXNRD inhibitor auranofin is synergistic with LO against transformed breast epithelial cells, but not untransformed cells, underscoring the tumor-selectivity of this strategy. CONCLUSIONS: LO exposes a redox vulnerability of TNBC cells to TXNRD inhibition by rendering tumor cells dependent on the thioredoxin antioxidant pathway for survival.

Amino Acid Degrading Enzymes and their Application in Cancer Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Amino acids are essential components in various biochemical pathways. The deprivation of certain amino acids is an antimetabolite strategy for the treatment of amino acid-dependent cancers which exploits the compromised metabolism of malignant cells. Several studies have focused on the development and preclinical and clinical evaluation of amino acid degrading enzymes, namely L-asparaginase, L-methionine γ-lyase, L-arginine deiminase, L-lysine α-oxidase. Further research into cancer cell metabolism may therefore define possible targets for controlling tumor growth. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review was to summarize recent progress in the relationship between amino acids metabolism and cancer therapy, with a particular focus on Lasparagine, L-methionine, L-arginine and L-lysine degrading enzymes and their formulations, which have been successfully used in the treatment of several types of cancer. METHODS: We carried out a structured search among literature regarding to amino acid degrading enzymes. The main aspects of search were in vitro and in vivo studies, clinical trials concerning application of these enzymes in oncology. RESULTS: Most published research are on the subject of L-asparaginase properties and it's use for cancer treatment. L-arginine deiminase has shown promising results in a phase II trial in advanced melanoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Other enzymes, in particular Lmethionine γ-lyase and L-lysine α-oxidase, were effective in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: The findings of this review revealed that therapy based on amino acid depletion may have the potential application for cancer treatment but further clinical investigations are required to provide the efficacy and safety of these agents.

Kinetic characteristics of L-lysine α- oxidase from Trichoderma cf. aureoviride Rifai VKM F-4268D: Substrate specificity and allosteric effects.

The present work aims to investigate the kinetic characteristics of homodimer enzyme L-lysine α-oxidase from Trichoderma cf. aureoviride Rifai VKM F-4268D, taking into account allosteric effects. The enzyme was first shown to reveal positive cooperativeness, h=2.05±0.15. Using additional opportunities of Hill coefficient the value of the Michaelis-Menten constant has been estimated, Km=1.015∙10-5М, indicating high strength of substrate binding to the active site of each subunit. High selectivity and absolute L-stereospecificity of the enzyme were shown. The inhibition of L-lysine conversion by non-cleavable lysine analogs as well as the reaction product was found out to take place. These effects have been evaluated only as the inhibition coefficients (%). A more detailed study of these inhibition effects was complicated because of the cooperativeness of enzyme subunits mentioned above. The kinetic scheme of L-lysine α-oxidase was proposed involving parallel-subsequent action of each of two subunits in the catalytic act. We think that the results obtained will be useful for studying the kinetic properties of other multi-subunit enzymes and improve understanding of the mechanisms of their action.

Enzymatic properties and anticancer activity of L-lysine α-oxidase from Trichoderma cf. aureoviride Rifai BKMF-4268D.

L-Lysine α-oxidase (LO) from a novel Trichoderma strain: Trichoderma cf. aureoviride Rifai shows favorable biochemical and kinetic properties (Km for L-lysine of 17.9 µmol/l, optimum pH 8.0, high stability) and significant antiproliferative activity both in vitro and in vivo. The molecular weight of LO was determined to be 115-116 kDa; the active dimer consists of two identical 57-58 kDa subunits. LO shows considerable cytotoxicity against the following tumor cell lines: K562, LS174T, HT29, SCOV3, PC3, and MCF7, with the inhibition concentration (IC50) ranging from 3.0×10 to 7.8×10 U/ml (3.2×10 to 8.2×10 mg/ml). Two human colon cancer xenografts HCT116 and LS174T and breast adenocarcinoma T47D implanted subcutaneously into Balb/c nude mice showed high sensitivity to LO with a T/C of 12, 37, and 36%, respectively (P<0.05). The antitumor efficacy of LO was observed in the absence of pronounced morbidity or toxicity in vivo. Taken together, these data suggest that LO may be considered as an effective anticancer agent for the treatment of solid tumors in vivo. This study presents promising data on the possible application of LO in clinical oncology for patients with colorectal cancer.