scholarly journals Snail augments fatty acid oxidation by suppression of mitochondrial ACC2 during cancer progression

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
pp. e202000683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Hye Yang ◽  
Nam Hee Kim ◽  
Jun Seop Yun ◽  
Eunae Sandra Cho ◽  
Yong Hoon Cha ◽  
...  

Despite the importance of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) in cancer metabolism, the biological mechanisms responsible for the FAO in cancer and therapeutic intervention based on catabolic metabolism are not well defined. In this study, we observe that Snail (SNAI1), a key transcriptional repressor of epithelial–mesenchymal transition, enhances catabolic FAO, allowing pro-survival of breast cancer cells in a starved environment. Mechanistically, Snail suppresses mitochondrial ACC2 (ACACB) by binding to a series of E-boxes located in its proximal promoter, resulting in decreased malonyl-CoA level. Malonyl-CoA being a well-known endogenous inhibitor of fatty acid transporter carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1), the suppression of ACC2 by Snail activates CPT1-dependent FAO, generating ATP and decreasing NADPH consumption. Importantly, combinatorial pharmacologic inhibition of pentose phosphate pathway and FAO with clinically available drugs efficiently reverts Snail-mediated metabolic reprogramming and suppresses in vivo metastatic progression of breast cancer cells. Our observations provide not only a mechanistic link between epithelial–mesenchymal transition and catabolic rewiring but also a novel catabolism-based therapeutic approach for inhibition of cancer progression.

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
Ha Thi Thu Do ◽  
Jungsook Cho

Chemokine–receptor interactions play multiple roles in cancer progression. It was reported that the overexpression of X-C motif chemokine receptor 1 (XCR1), a specific receptor for chemokine X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (XCL1), stimulates the migration of MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells. However, the exact mechanisms of this process remain to be elucidated. Our study found that XCL1 treatment markedly enhanced MDA-MB-231 cell migration. Additionally, XCL1 treatment enhanced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of MDA-MB-231 cells via E-cadherin downregulation and upregulation of N-cadherin and vimentin as well as increases in β-catenin nucleus translocation. Furthermore, XCL1 enhanced the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2. Notably, the effects of XCL1 on cell migration and intracellular signaling were negated by knockdown of XCR1 using siRNA, confirming XCR1-mediated actions. Treating MDA-MB-231 cells with U0126, a specific mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) 1/2 inhibitor, blocked XCL1-induced HIF-1α accumulation and cell migration. The effect of XCL1 on cell migration was also evaluated in ER-/HER2+ SK-BR-3 cells. XCL1 also promoted cell migration, EMT induction, HIF-1α accumulation, and ERK phosphorylation in SK-BR-3 cells. While XCL1 did not exhibit any significant impact on the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 expressions in MDA-MB-231 cells, it increased the expression of these enzymes in SK-BR-3 cells. Collectively, our results demonstrate that activation of the ERK/HIF-1α/EMT pathway is involved in the XCL1-induced migration of both MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. Based on our findings, the XCL1–XCR1 interaction and its associated signaling molecules may serve as specific targets for the prevention of breast cancer cell migration and metastasis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifan Wang ◽  
Ruocen Liao ◽  
Xingyu Chen ◽  
Xuhua Ying ◽  
Guanping Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Breast cancer is considered to be the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide, and metastasis is the primary cause of death. Protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1) is a GPCR family member involved in the invasive and metastatic processes of cancer cells. However, the functions and underlying mechanisms of PAR1 in breast cancer remain unclear. In this study, we found that PAR1 is highly expressed in high invasive breast cancer cells, and predicts poor prognosis in ER-negative and high-grade breast cancer patients. Mechanistically, Twist transcriptionally induces PAR1 expression, leading to inhibition of Hippo pathway and activation of YAP/TAZ; Inhibition of PAR1 suppresses YAP/TAZ-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, migration, cancer stem cell (CSC)-like properties, tumor growth and metastasis of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggest that PAR1 acts as a direct transcriptionally target of Twist, can promote EMT, tumorigenicity and metastasis by controlling the Hippo pathway; this may lead to a potential therapeutic target for treating invasive breast cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziqian Yan ◽  
Zhimei Sheng ◽  
Yuanhang Zheng ◽  
Ruijun Feng ◽  
Qinpei Xiao ◽  
...  

AbstractStudies have shown that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an irreplaceable role in the occurrence and development of tumors. Therefore, exploring the action and mechanism of CAFs on tumor cells is particularly important. In this study, we compared the effects of CAFs-derived exosomes and normal fibroblasts (NFs)-derived exosomes on breast cancer cells migration and invasion. The results showed that exosomes from both CAFs and NFs could enter into breast cancer cells and CAFs-derived exosomes had a more enhancing effect on breast cancer cells migration and invasion than NFs-derived exosomes. Furthermore, microRNA (miR)-18b was upregulated in CAFs-derived exosomes, and CAFs-derived exosomes miR-18b can promote breast cancer cell migration and metastasis by specifically binding to the 3′UTR of Transcription Elongation Factor A Like 7 (TCEAL7). The miR-18b-TCEAL7 pathway promotes nuclear Snail ectopic activation by activating nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), thereby inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and promoting cell invasion and metastasis. Moreover, CAFs-derived exosomes miR-18b could promote mouse xenograft model tumor metastasis. Overall, our findings suggest that CAFs-derived exosomes miR-18b promote nuclear Snail ectopic by targeting TCEAL7 to activate the NF-κB pathway, thereby inducing EMT, invasion, and metastasis of breast cancer. Targeting CAFs-derived exosome miR-18b may be a potential treatment option to overcome breast cancer progression.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riley A. Hampsch ◽  
Jason D. Wells ◽  
Nicole A. Traphagen ◽  
Charlotte F. McCleery ◽  
Jennifer L. Fields ◽  
...  

AbstractPurposeDespite adjuvant anti-estrogen therapy for patients with estrogen receptor alpha (ER)-positive breast cancer, dormant residual disease can persist for years and eventually cause tumor recurrence. We sought to deduce mechanisms underlying the persistence of dormant cancer cells to identify therapeutic strategies.Experimental DesignMimicking the aromatase inhibitor-induced depletion of estrogen levels used to treat patients, we developed preclinical models of dormancy in ER+ breast cancer induced by estrogen withdrawal in mice. We analyzed tumor xenografts and cultured cancer cells for molecular and cellular responses to estrogen withdrawal and drug treatments. Publicly available clinical breast tumor gene expression datasets were analyzed for responses to neoadjuvant anti-estrogen therapy.ResultsDormant breast cancer cells exhibited upregulated 5’ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) levels and activity, and upregulated fatty acid oxidation. While the anti-diabetes AMPK-activating drug metformin slowed the estrogen-driven growth of cells and tumors, metformin promoted the persistence of estrogen-deprived cells and tumors through increased mitochondrial respiration driven by fatty acid oxidation. Pharmacologic or genetic inhibition of AMPK or fatty acid oxidation promoted clearance of dormant residual disease, while dietary fat increased tumor cell survival.ConclusionsAMPK has context-dependent effects in cancer, cautioning against the widespread use of an AMPK activator across disease settings. The development of therapeutics targeting fat metabolism is warranted in ER+ breast cancer.Statement of Translational RelevanceDormant cancer cells that survive adjuvant therapy can ultimately give rise to recurrent/advanced tumors that frequently develop resistance to all approved therapies. Patients with early-stage estrogen receptor alpha (ER)-positive breast cancer are typically treated with surgical resection followed by ≥5 years of adjuvant anti-estrogen therapy that neutralizes ER and suppresses, but often does not eliminate, tumor-initiating cells. Estrogen withdrawal, which mimics aromatase inhibitor therapy, induced activation of the metabolic sensor 5’ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and upregulated fatty acid oxidation (FAO) in preclinical models. Treatment with the anti-diabetes AMPK-activating drug metformin or high dietary fat intake promoted survival of dormant ER+ breast cancer cells, while anti-anginal drugs that inhibit FAO induced clearance of dormant tumor cells. These findings caution against using AMPK modulators with anti-estrogens in patients with ER+ breast cancer, and warrant testing of FAO inhibitors as anti-cancer agents in combination with anti-estrogens.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junqin Li ◽  
Lihua Dong ◽  
Dapeng Wei ◽  
Xiaodong Wang ◽  
Shuo Zhang ◽  
...  

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