Inhibition of the Histone Demethylase LSD1 Combined with Caloric Restriction or IGF1/Insulin Inhibition Leads to Durable Responses in a Preclinical Model of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

There is increasing interest in therapeutic modulation of metabolic pathways in cancer. Tumor cells preferentially use aerobic glycolysis to meet their energetic demands. However, glycolysis inhibition alone is unable to bring durable responses because of limited therapeutic index and because of previously underappreciated metabolic adaptability in tumor cells, which can switch to alternative substrate usage when specific nutrients are limiting. The molecular basis of metabolic adaptation is poorly understood. Recently, the histone demethylase LSD1 (Lysine-Specific Demethylase 1) has been implicated in the control of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in adipocytes through its interaction with NRF1 (Nuclear Respiratory Factor 1), a master regulator of metabolic gene transcription (1). We hypothesized that LSD1 could regulate metabolic adaptability and be a therapeutic target upon metabolic modulation through Caloric Restriction (CR) in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) and specifically in APL (Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia), which we showed to be sensitive to body fatness in the clinic (2).