The expression pattern of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases predicts prognosis and correlates with immune exhaustion in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 7339 - 9
• Main Authors: Nunes-Xavier, Caroline E., Emaldi, Maite, Mingo, Janire, Øyjord, Tove, Mælandsmo, Gunhild M., Fodstad, Øystein, Errarte, Peio, Larrinaga, Gorka, Llarena, Roberto, López, José I., Pulido, Rafael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 05.05.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Springer Nature; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 1-Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; 631/67/2327; 631/67/589/1588; Carcinoma, Renal Cell - genetics; CD8 antigen; Cell survival; Cell viability; Clear cell-type renal cell carcinoma; Dehydrogenase; Dehydrogenases; Dichloroacetic acid; DNA microarrays; Energy metabolism; Enzymes; Gene expression; Glycolysis; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Kidney cancer; Kidney Neoplasms - genetics; Kinases; Lymphocytes T; Medical prognosis; Metabolism; Metastases; multidisciplinary; Oxidoreductases; PDK1 protein; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Prognosis; Protein expression; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases - genetics; Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Acetyl-Transferring Kinase; Pyruvates; Pyruvic acid; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Signal transduction; Tumor cell lines; Tumor cells; Tumors
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34087-x

Renal cancer cells constitute a paradigm of tumor cells with a glycolytic reprogramming which drives metabolic alterations favouring cell survival and transformation. We studied the expression and activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases (PDK1-4), key enzymes of the energy metabolism, in renal cancer cells. We analysed the expression, subcellular distribution and clinicopathological correlations of PDK1-4 by immunohistochemistry of tumor tissue microarray samples from a cohort of 96 clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients. Gene expression analysis was performed on whole tumor tissue sections of a subset of ccRCC samples. PDK2 and PDK3 protein expression in tumor cells correlated with lower patient overall survival, whereas PDK1 protein expression correlated with higher patient survival. Gene expression analysis revealed molecular association of PDK2 and PDK3 expression with PI3K signalling pathway, as well as with T cell infiltration and exhausted CD8 T cells. Inhibition of PDK by dichloroacetate in human renal cancer cell lines resulted in lower cell viability, which was accompanied by an increase in pAKT. Together, our findings suggest a differential role for PDK enzymes in ccRCC progression, and highlight PDK as actionable metabolic proteins in relation with PI3K signalling and exhausted CD8 T cells in ccRCC.