Anticancer activity of FTY720: Phosphorylated FTY720 inhibits autotaxin, a metastasis-enhancing and angiogenic lysophospholipase D

FTY720 is an immunomodulator that is phosphorylated in vivo and inhibits lymphocyte mobilization by targeting sphingosine 1-phospate receptors. At doses higher than required for immunomodulation, FTY720 inhibits tumor progression through an unknown mechanism. Here we show that FTY720-phosphate is a competitive inhibitor (Ki ∼0.2 μM) of autotaxin (ATX or NPP2), a nucleotide phosphodiesterase/pyrophosphatase (NPP) that enhances metastasis and angiogenesis and acts as a lysophospholipase D to produce the lipid mediator lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). FTY720-phosphate did no affect the activity of NPP1, the closest relative of ATX. After oral administration in mice, FTY720 (3 mg/kg) significantly reduced plasma LPA levels. These results suggest that FTY720 may exert its anticancer effects, at least in part, by targeting the ATX-LPA axis.