ATPase inhibitory factor 1 (IF1): a novel player in pollutant-related diseases?
Résumé
As reported by the World Health Organization, at least 20% of all cancers would be due to environmental agents. However, besides the genotoxic effects of these agents, other cellular and molecular mechanisms would also be involved. In this context, there is still a need to further decipher their precise mode of action. Our previous work showed that the environmental carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), the prototype molecule of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), elicited a Warburg-like metabolic reprogramming responsible for signaling of cell survival. We next evidenced that the ATPase Inhibitory Factor 1 (IF1), the physiological inhibitor of the F0F1ATPase, was involved in this B[a]P-induced glycolytic reprogramming in liver cells, hence identifying IF1 as a new target for PAHs. This latter study has thus provided new insights about how environmental pollutants might contribute to related carcinogenesis, thereby paving the way for future research on largely disregarded aspects when analyzing the impact of environmental carcinogens. This prospective review will therefore focus on IF1, considering it as a potential new target for environmental toxicants. Indeed, this key peptide might serve as a “gateway” for these compounds to interfere with cell physiology, especially at the mitochondrial level, thereby possibly leading to development of a panel of pathologies in which IF1 could be implicated. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.