Selective ATP hydrolysis inhibition in F1Fo ATP synthase enhances radiosensitivity in non-small-cell lung cancer cells (A549).

backgroundF1Fo-ATP synthase (F1Fo-ATPase) is a reversibly rotary molecular machine whose dual functions of synthesizing or hydrolyzing ATP switch upon the condition of cell physiology. The robust ATP-hydrolyzing activity occurs in ischemia for maintaining the transmembrane proton motive force of mitochondria inner membrane, but the effect of F1Fo-ATPase on X-ray response of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells is unknown. METHODS AND

findingsWe studied whether ATP hydrolysis affected X-ray radiation induced cell death. NSCLC cells (A549) were pretreated with BTB06584 (BTB), an elective ATP hydrolysis inhibitor, followed by X-ray radiation. Cell viability and clonogenic survival were markedly decreased, clear indications of enhanced radiosensitivity through BTB incubation. Additionally, ATP5α1 was upregulated in parallel with elevated ATP hydrolytic activity after X-ray radiation, showing an increased mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). ATP hydrolysis inhibition led to collapse of ΔΨm suggesting ATP hydrolytic activity could enhance ΔΨm after X-ray radiation. Furthermore, we also demonstrated that apoptosis was pronounced with the prolonged collapse of ΔΨm due to hydrolysis inhibition by BTB incubation.

conclusionOverall, these findings supported that ATP hydrolysis inhibition could enhance the radiosensitivity in NSCLC cells (A549) after X-ray radiation, which was due to the collapse of ΔΨm.