Gasdermin D-mediated pyroptosis is regulated by AMPK-mediated phosphorylation in tumor cells

Xiufeng Chu, Xiang Xiao, Guangchuan Wang, Ahmed Uosef, Xiaohua Lou, Preston Arnold, Yixuan Wang, Gangcheng Kong, Mou Wen, Laurie J. Minze, Xian C. Li

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Gasdermin D (GSDMD) is a critical mediator of pyroptosis, which consists of a N-terminal pore-forming domain and a C-terminal autoinhibitory domain. Its cytolytic activity is sequestered by the intramolecular autoinhibitory mechanism. Upon caspase-1/11 mediated cleavage of GSDMD, the N-terminal pore-forming domain (GD-NT) is released to mediate pyroptosis. However, it remains unclear how GD-NT is regulated once it is generated. In the current study, we developed a TetOn system in which GD-NT was selectively induced in tumor cells to explore how the cytolytic activity of GD-NT is regulated. We found that the cytolytic activity of GD-NT was negatively regulated by the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and AMPK activation rendered tumor cells resistant to GD-NT-mediated pyroptosis. Mechanistically, AMPK phosphorylated GD-NT at the serine 46 (pS46-GD), which altered GD-NT oligomerization and subsequently eliminated its pore-forming ability. In our in vivo tumor model, AMPK-mediated phosphorylation abolished GD-NT-induced anti-tumor activity and resulted in an aggressive tumor growth. Thus, our data demonstrate the critical role of AMPK in negatively regulating the cytolytic activity of GD-NT. Our data also highlight an unexpected link between GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis and the AMPK signaling pathway in certain tumor cells.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number469
JournalCell Death and Disease
Volume14
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2023

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Cancer Research

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