EAG2 potassium channel with evolutionarily conserved function as a brain tumor target

Nat Neurosci. 2015 Sep;18(9):1236-46. doi: 10.1038/nn.4088. Epub 2015 Aug 10.

Abstract

Over 20% of the drugs for treating human diseases target ion channels, but no cancer drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is intended to target an ion channel. We found that the EAG2 (Ether-a-go-go 2) potassium channel has an evolutionarily conserved function for promoting brain tumor growth and metastasis, delineate downstream pathways, and uncover a mechanism for different potassium channels to functionally cooperate and regulate mitotic cell volume and tumor progression. EAG2 potassium channel was enriched at the trailing edge of migrating medulloblastoma (MB) cells to regulate local cell volume dynamics, thereby facilitating cell motility. We identified the FDA-approved antipsychotic drug thioridazine as an EAG2 channel blocker that reduces xenografted MB growth and metastasis, and present a case report of repurposing thioridazine for treating a human patient. Our findings illustrate the potential of targeting ion channels in cancer treatment.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Brain Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Brain Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • COS Cells
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Drosophila
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods*
  • Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels / physiology*
  • Evolution, Molecular*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Thioridazine / administration & dosage*
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays / methods
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels
  • KCNH5 protein, human
  • Thioridazine