Suppression of NAF-1 in Breast Cancer Cells Reduces their Tumorigenicity by Interfering with Cellular Iron Distribution and Metabolism and Ensuing ROS Formation and Apoptosis

Nutrient autophagy factor 1 (NAF-1) is an iron-sulfur protein found on the outer mitochondrial membrane and the ER. Recent studies highlighted an important role for NAF-1 in regulating autophagy via interaction with BCL-2. We recently reported that the level of NAF-1 is elevated in cancer cells and that NAF-1 is required for tumor growth. Here we report that shRNA suppression of NAF-1 results in the activation of apoptosis in xenograft tumors and cancer cells grown in culture. Suppression of NAF-1 resulted in a depletion in the cytosolic iron pool, facilitated uptake of iron, and accumulation of iron and ROS in mitochondria, a shift to glycolysis and glutaminolysis, and the activation of cellular stress pathways associated with HIF1α, AMPK and mTOR. Suppression of NAF-1 in breast cancer cells appears therefore to reduce their tumorigenicity by interfering with cellular iron distribution and energy metabolism resulting in the activation of apoptosis. Examination of the effect of suppression of NAF-1 in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Two sample types were analyzed, MCF-7 suppressed for NAF-1 and MCF-7 Empty vector control, three replicates for each.