Clofarabine Commandeers the RNR-alpha-ZRANB3 Nuclear Signaling Axis

Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) is an essential enzyme in DNA biogenesis and a target of several chemotherapeutics. Here, we investigate how antileukemic drugs (e.g., clofarabine [CIF]) that target one of the two subunits of RNR, RNR-alpha, affect noncanonical RNR-alpha functions. We discovered that these clinically approved RNR-inhibiting dATP-analogs inhibit growth by also targeting ZRANB3-a recently identified DNA synthesis promoter and nuclear-localized interactor of RNR-alpha. Remarkably, in early time points following drug treatment, ZRANB3 targeting accounted for most of the drug-induced DNA synthesis suppression and multiple cell types featuring ZRANB3 knockout/knockdown were resistant to these drugs. In addition, ZRANB3 plays a major role in regulating tumor invasion and H-ras(G12V)-promoted transformation in a manner dependent on the recently discovered interactome of RNR-alpha involving select cytosolic-/nuclear-localized protein players. The H-ras(G12V)-promoted transformation-which we show requires ZRANB3-supported DNA synthesis-was efficiently suppressed by ClF. Such overlookedmechanisms of action of approved drugs and a previously unappreciated example of non-oncogene addiction, which is suppressed by RNR-alpha, may advance cancer interventions.