{Reference Type}: Journal Article {Title}: Nitidine chloride inhibits mTORC1 signaling through ATF4-mediated Sestrin2 induction and targets IGF2R for lysosomal degradation. {Author}: Chen F;Peng S;Li C;Yang F;Yi Y;Chen X;Xu H;Cheng B;Xu Y;Xie X; {Journal}: Life Sci {Volume}: 353 {Issue}: 0 {Year}: 2024 Sep 15 {Factor}: 6.78 {DOI}: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122918 {Abstract}: OBJECTIVE: Nitidine chloride (NC), a natural phytochemical alkaloid derived from Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC, exhibits multiple bioactivities, including antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and other therapeutic effects. However, the primary targets of NC and the mechanism of action (MOA) have not been explicitly defined.
METHODS: We explored the effects of NC on mTORC1 signaling by immunoblotting and fluorescence microscopy in wild-type and gene knockout cell lines generated by the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique. We identified IGF2R as a direct target of NC via the drug affinity-responsive target stability (DARTS) method. We investigated the antitumor effects of NC using a mouse melanoma B16 tumor xenograft model.
RESULTS: NC inhibits mTORC1 activity by targeting amino acid-sensing signaling through activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4)-mediated Sestrin2 induction. NC directly binds to IGF2R and promotes its lysosomal degradation. Moreover, NC displayed potent cytotoxicity against various cancer cells and inhibited B16 tumor xenografts.
CONCLUSIONS: NC inhibits mTORC1 signaling through nutrient sensing and directly targets IGF2R for lysosomal degradation, providing mechanistic insights into the MOA of NC.