The antitumor activity of a novel GCN2 inhibitor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines

BACKGROUND: General control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2) senses amino acid deprivation and activates activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), which regulates many adaptive genes. We evaluated the impact of AST-0513, a novel GCN2 inhibitor, on the GCN2-ATF4 pathway. Additionally, we evaluated the antitumor effects of AST-0513 in amino acid deprivation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines. METHODS: GCN2 expression in HNSCC patient tissues was measured by immunohistochemistry. Five HNSCC cell lines (SNU-1041, SNU-1066, SNU-1076, Detroit-562, FaDu) grown under amino acid deprivation conditions, were treated with AST-0513. After AST-0513 treatment, cell proliferation was measured by CCK-8 assay. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate apoptosis and cell cycle phase. In addition, immunoblotting was performed to evaluate the effect of AST-0513 on the GCN2-ATF4 pathway, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. RESULTS: We demonstrated that GCN2 was highly expressed in HNSCC patient tissues. AST-0513 inhibited the GCN2-ATF4 pathway in all five HNSCC cell lines. Inhibiting the GCN2-ATF4 pathway during amino acid deprivation reduced HNSCC cell proliferation and prevented adaptation to nutrient stress. Moreover, AST-0513 treatment led to p21 and Cyclin B1 accumulation and G2/M phase cycle arrest. Also, apoptosis was increased, consistent with increased bax expression, increased bcl-xL phosphorylation, and decreased bcl-2 expression. CONCLUSION: A novel GCN2 inhibitor, AST-0513, inhibited the GCN2-ATF4 pathway and has antitumor activity that inhibits proliferation and promotes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Considering the high expression of GCN2 in HNSCC patients, these results suggest the potential role of GCN2 inhibitor for the treatment of HNSCC.