Human fortilin is a molecular target of dihydroartemisinin

Dehydroartemisinin (DHA) is an effective anti-malaria agent. Fortilin is an anti-apoptotic molecule overexpressed in many human cancers. Here, we show that DHA binds human fortilin, increases the ubiquitination of fortilin, shortens fortilin’s half-life in a proteasome-dependent fashion, and reduces cellular levels of fortilin in varieties of cells. DHA induced DNA fragmentation in U2OS cells in a fortilin-dependent manner. The fortilin-knocked-down cells were less susceptible—and fortilin-overexpressing cells more susceptible—to DHA than were wild-type cells, suggesting that apoptotic effects of DHA are—at least partly—conferred through fortilin. Together, these data suggest that fortilin is a molecular target of DHA. DHA and its derivative may prove to be viable anti-cancer agents in fortilin-overexpressing cancers.