Gramicidin A Blocks Tumor Growth and Angiogenesis through Inhibition of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract Ionophores are hydrophobic organic molecules that disrupt cellular transmembrane potential by permeabilizing membranes to specific ions. Gramicidin A is a channel-forming ionophore that forms a hydrophilic membrane pore that permits the rapid passage of monovalent cations. Previously, we found that gramicidin A induces cellular energy stress and cell death in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines. RCC is a therapy-resistant cancer that is characterized by constitutive activation of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). Here, we demonstrate that gramicidin A inhibits HIF in RCC cells. We found that gramicidin A destabilized HIF-1α and HIF-2α proteins in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions, which in turn diminished HIF transcriptional activity and the expression of various hypoxia-response genes. Mechanistic examination revealed that gramicidin A accelerates O2-dependent downregulation of HIF by upregulating the expression of the von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor protein, which targets hydroxylated HIF for proteasomal degradation. Furthermore, gramicidin A reduced the growth of human RCC xenograft tumors without causing significant toxicity in mice. Gramicidin A–treated tumors also displayed physiologic and molecular features consistent with the inhibition of HIF-dependent angiogenesis. Taken together, these results demonstrate a new role for gramicidin A as a potent inhibitor of HIF that reduces tumor growth and angiogenesis in VHL-expressing RCC. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(4); 788–99. ©2014 AACR.