HIF-2α inhibition disrupts leukemia stem cell metabolism and impairs vascular microenvironment to enhance chronic myeloid leukemia treatment

Abstract

Leukemic stem cells (LSCs) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) contribute to treatment resistance and disease recurrence. Metabolism regulates LSCs, but the mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α) is highly expressed in LSCs in mouse and human CML and increases after tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. Deletion of HIF-2α suppresses disease progression, reduces LSC numbers, and enhances the efficacy of TKI treatment in BCL-ABL-induced CML mice. Mechanistically, HIF-2α deletion reshapes the metabolic profile of LSCs, leading to increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis in CML. Moreover, HIF-2α deletion decreases vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, thereby suppressing neovascularization in the bone marrow of CML mice. Furthermore, pharmaceutical inhibition of HIF-2α by PT2399 attenuates disease progression and improves the efficacy of TKI treatment in both mouse and human CML. Overall, our findings highlight the role of HIF-2α in controlling the metabolic state and vascular niche remodeling in CML, suggesting it is a potential therapeutic target to enhance TKI therapy.