The Endocannabinoid/Endovanilloid N-Arachidonoyl Dopamine Suppresses the Plasma Membrane Translocation and Neoplastic Transforming Activity of NRAS and KRAS4A

The RAS family includes three RAS genes, which encode four highly homologous proteins: H-, N-, and KRAS4A and 4B, the latter two being alternatively spliced forms differing only at the carboxyl terminus. RAS oncogenic mutations, mostly KRAS and NRAS, are common in human cancers. Since the enzymatic activity of RAS is used to turn itself off and its GTP binding affinity is very high, RAS proteins have been difficult to target. Identification of alternative means to block the RAS oncogenic signaling is critical for developing therapies against RAS-driven cancer. We took a chemical biology approach to discover novel therapeutic strategies for RAS-related cancer. Since the biological activity of RAS proteins relies upon lipid modifications and RAS regulates lipid metabolisms in cancer cells, we used a RAS specific cell viability assay to screen a bioactive lipid library for potential therapeutics against RAS-driven cancer. We found that endocannabinoid/endovanilloid N-arachidonoyl dopamine (NADA) could effectively kill RAS-transformed cells. The structure-activity analysis showed that the anti-RAS activity of NADA relied on both the dopamine and arachidonoyl moieties in the same molecule and was independent of its ability to engage cannabinoid or vanilloid receptors. Further analysis showed that NADA was more active in killing cells transformed by oncogenic NRAS or KRAS4A than that of KRAS4B. Consistently, NADA was more active in inhibiting the phosphorylation of ERK in NRAS-transformed cells than that in KRAS4B-transformed cells. Interestingly, NADA blocked the plasma membrane translocation of NRAS and KRAS4A, but not that of KRAS4B. Significant effect of NADA on palmitoylated NRAS levels was not detected, suggesting that NADA inhibits NRAS and KRAS4A plasma membrane translocation through a novel mechanism. These results demonstrate that NADA possesses a novel property of inhibiting the plasma membrane translocation and neoplastic transforming activity of NRAS and KRAS4A. Since NRAS mutations are common in hematological malignancies as well as in solid tumors such as melanoma and colorectal carcinoma, and KRAS4A is required for carcinogen-induced lung cancer, the new findings would help to develop novel therapies for a broad range of human cancers.