title: Effect of lentivirus-mediated shRNA inactivation of HK1, HK2, and HK3 genes in colorectal cancer and melanoma cells.
abstract: The switch from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis in proliferating cancer cells, even under aerobic conditions, has been shown first in 1926 by Otto Warburg. Today this phenomenon is known as the "Warburg effect" and recognized as a hallmark of cancer. The metabolic shift to glycolysis is associated with the alterations in signaling pathways involved in energy metabolism, including glucose uptake and fermentation, and regulation of mitochondrial functions. Hexokinases (HKs), which catalyze the first step of glycolysis, have been identified to play a role in tumorigenesis of human colorectal cancer (CRC) and melanoma. However, the mechanism of action of HKs in the promotion of tumor growth remains unclear.
  
  
  
  The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of silencing of hexokinase genes (HK1, HK2, and HK3) in colorectal cancer (HT-29, SW 480, HCT-15, RKO, and HCT 116) and melanoma (MDA-MB-435S and SK-MEL-28) cell lines using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) lentiviral vectors. shRNA lentiviral plasmid vectors pLSLP-HK1, pLSLP-HK2, and pLSLP-HK3 were constructed and then transfected separately or co-transfected into the cells. HK2 inactivation was associated with increased expression of HK1 in colorectal cancer cell lines pointing to the compensation effect. Simultaneous attenuation of HK1 and HK2 levels led to decreased cell viability. Co-transfection with shRNA vectors against HK1, HK2, and HK3 mRNAs resulted in a rapid cell death via apoptosis.
  
  
  
  We have demonstrated that simultaneous inactivation of HK1 and HK2 was sufficient to decrease proliferation and viability of melanoma and colorectal cancer cells. Our results suggest that HK1 and HK2 could be the key therapeutic targets for reducing aerobic glycolysis in examined cancers.
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia. rhizamoeba@mail.ru.|National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia. rhizamoeba@mail.ru.
authors.forename: Anna V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kudryavtseva
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Maria S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Fedorova
authors.affiliation: Insilico Medicine, Inc., Emerging Technology Centers, Johns Hopkins University Eastern Campus, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zhavoronkov
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.|Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexey A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Moskalev
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.|N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexander S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Zasedatelev
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexey A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Dmitriev
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.|National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Asiya F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Sadritdinova
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Irina Y
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Karpova
authors.affiliation: National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Kirill M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Nyushko
authors.affiliation: A.V. Vishnevsky Institute of Surgery, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Dmitry V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Kalinin
authors.affiliation: National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Nadezhda N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Volchenko
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Nataliya V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Melnikova
authors.affiliation: Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Kseniya M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Klimina
authors.affiliation: National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Dmitry V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Sidorov
authors.affiliation: State Hospital №57, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Anatoly Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Popov
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.|N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Tatiana V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Nasedkina
authors.affiliation: National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Andrey D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Kaprin
authors.affiliation: National Medical Research Radiological Center, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Boris Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Alekseev
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: George S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Krasnov
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Anastasiya V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Snezhkina
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006593:Hexokinase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D034622:RNA Interference; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D006593:Hexokinase
keywords: Colorectal cancer; Glycolysis; Hexokinases; Melanoma; Warburg effect; shRNA