ENOX2 Target for the Anticancer Isoflavone ME-143

ME-143 (NV-143), a synthetic isoflavone under clinical evaluation for efficacy in the management of ovarian and other forms of human cancer, blocked the activity of a cancer-specific and growth-related cell surface ECTO-NOX protein with both oxidative (hydroquinone) and protein disulfide-thiol interchange activity designated ENOX2 (tNOX) and inhibited the growth of cultured cancer cells with EC(50)s in the range of 20–50 nM. Purified recombinant ENOX2 also bound ME-143 with a K (d) of 43 (40–50) nM. Both the oxidative and protein disulfide-thiol interchange activities of ENOX proteins that alternate to generate a complex set of oscillations with a period length of 22 min compared to 24 min for the constitutive counterpart ENOX1 (CNOX) that characterizes ENOX proteins responded to ME-143. Oxidation of NADH or reduced coenzyme Q(10) was rapidly blocked. In contrast, the protein disulfide-thiol interchange activity measured from the cleavage of dithiodipyridine (EC(50) of ca. 50 nM) was inhibited progressively over an interval of 60 min that spanned three cycles of activity. Inhibition of the latter paralleled the inhibition of cell enlargement and the consequent inability of inhibited cells to initiate traverse of the cell cycle. Activities of constitutive ENOX1 (CNOX) forms of either cancer or noncancer cells were unaffected by ME-143 over the range of concentrations inhibiting ENOX2. Taken together, the findings show that ME-143 binds to ENOX2 with an affinity 4 to 10 times greater than that reported previously for the related anticancer isoflavone, phenoxodiol.