Glutaredoxin 2 is essential for AML survival through mitochondrial permeability transition pore regulation

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have a poor 5-year survival rate, highlighting the need for the identification of new approaches to target this disease. AML is highly dependent on glutathione (GSH) metabolism for survival. Although the metabolic role of GSH is well characterized in AML, the contribution of protein glutathionylation, a reversible modification that protects protein thiols from oxidative damage, remains largely unexplored. Therefore, we sought to elucidate the role of protein glutathionylation in AML pathogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that protein glutathionylation is essential for AML cell survival. Specifically, the loss of glutaredoxin 2 (GLRX2), an enzyme that removes GSH modifications, resulted in selective primary AML cell death while sparing normal human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Unbiased proteomic analysis revealed increased mitochondrial protein glutathionylation upon GLRX2 depletion, accompanied by mitochondrial dysfunction, including impaired oxidative phosphorylation, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). Further investigation identified adenosine triphosphate synthase subunit O (ATP5PO), a key regulator of mPTP opening and a component of the ATP synthase complex, as a critical GLRX2 target. Disruption of ATP5PO glutathionylation partially restored mPTP function and rescued AML cell viability after GLRX2 depletion. Moreover, both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of mPTP opening restored the leukemic potential of primary AML specimens in the absence of GLRX2. By disrupting glutathionylation-dependent mitochondrial homeostasis, this study reveals a novel vulnerability in AML that could inform future therapeutic strategies.

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Publication Details

Journal
Blood
Published
2025-11-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2025028933
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Redox biology and oxidative stress
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.81

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article

Glutaredoxin 2 is essential for AML survival through mitochondrial permeability transition pore regulation

Jacob M. Berman, Cristiana O’Brien, Christina Sexton, Julie A. Reisz et al.
1 citations
Blood
Redox biology and oxidative stress
0.81
article

Glutaredoxin 2 is essential for AML survival through mitochondrial permeability transition pore regulation

Jacob M. Berman, Cristiana O’Brien, Christina Sexton, Julie A. Reisz, Mark Wunderlich, Tianyi Ling, Mark D. Minden, Emily Tsao, Suraj Bansal, Brian Raught, Maria L. Amaya, He Tian Chen, Rachel Culp‐Hill, Courtney L. Jones, Angelo D’Alessandro, Katharine M. Carter, Cody Stillwell, Andy G.X. Zeng, Kristin J. Hope, Anastasia N. Tikhonova, Andrea Arruda, John E. Dick, Vincent Rondeau, M. Shi, Jonathan St-Germain, Saeer A Adeel, Adrianna Kinga Cepa, Paula Saez Raez
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have a poor 5-year survival rate, highlighting the need for the identification of new approaches to target this disease. AML is highly dependent on glutathione (GSH) metabolism for survival. Although the metabolic role of GSH is well characterized in AML, the contribution of protein glutathionylation, a reversible modification that protects protein thiols from oxidative damage, remains largely unexplored. Therefore, we sought to elucidate the role of protein glutathionylation in AML pathogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that protein glutathionylation is essential for AML cell survival. Specifically, the loss of glutaredoxin 2 (GLRX2), an enzyme that removes GSH modifications, resulted in selective primary AML cell death while sparing normal human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Unbiased proteomic analysis revealed increased mitochondrial protein glutathionylation upon GLRX2 depletion, accompanied by mitochondrial dysfunction, including impaired oxidative phosphorylation, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). Further investigation identified adenosine triphosphate synthase subunit O (ATP5PO), a key regulator of mPTP opening and a component of the ATP synthase complex, as a critical GLRX2 target. Disruption of ATP5PO glutathionylation partially restored mPTP function and rescued AML cell viability after GLRX2 depletion. Moreover, both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of mPTP opening restored the leukemic potential of primary AML specimens in the absence of GLRX2. By disrupting glutathionylation-dependent mitochondrial homeostasis, this study reveals a novel vulnerability in AML that could inform future therapeutic strategies.

BloodVol. 147(8)
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (CA), Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (US), University Health Network (CA), University of Toronto (CA), Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (CA), Amgen (Canada) (CA), University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (US), University of Cincinnati (US), University of Cincinnati Medical Center (US), University of Colorado Denver (US), McMaster University (CA)
Elsa U. Pardee Foundation, V Foundation for Cancer Research, Rally Foundation, Celgene, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Genome Canada, Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Cancer Center, University of Colorado
Openalex Percentile: Top 22%
Redox biology and oxidative stress
0.81
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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