SHMT2 promotes cell viability and inhibits ROS-dependent, mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis via the intrinsic signaling pathway in bladder cancer cells

Mitochondrial serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT2) catalyzes the conversion of serine to glycine and concomitantly produces one-carbon units to support cell growth and is upregulated in various cancer cells. SHMT2 knockdown triggers cell apoptosis; however, the detailed mechanism of apoptosis induced by SHMT2 inactivation remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that SHMT2 supports the proliferation of bladder cancer (BC) cells by maintaining redox homeostasis. SHMT2 knockout decreased the pools of purine and one-carbon units and delayed cell cycle progression in a manner that was rescued by formate, demonstrating that SHMT2-mediated one-carbon units are essential for BC cell proliferation. SHMT2 deficiency promoted the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) by decreasing the NADH/NAD+, NADPH/NADP+, and GSH/GSSG ratios, leading to a loss in mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c, translocation of Bcl-2 family protein and activation of caspase-3. Notably, blocking ROS production with the one-carbon donor formate and the ROS scavenger N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) effectively rescued SHMT2 deficiency-induced cell apoptosis via the intrinsic signaling pathway. Treatment with the SHMT inhibitor SHIN1 resulted in a significant inhibitory effect on cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis. Formate and NAC rescued SHIN1-induced cell apoptosis. Our findings reveal an important mechanism by which the loss of SHMT2 triggers ROS-dependent, mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis, which gives insight into the link between serine metabolism and cell apoptosis and provides a promising target for BC treatment and drug discovery.