scholarly journals Lipid Metabolism in Oncology: Why It Matters, How to Research, and How to Treat

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 474
Author(s):  
Yuki Matsushita ◽  
Hayato Nakagawa ◽  
Kazuhiko Koike

Lipids in our body, which are mainly composed of fatty acids, triacylglycerides, sphingolipids, phospholipids, and cholesterol, play important roles at the cellular level. In addition to being energy sources and structural components of biological membranes, several types of lipids serve as signaling molecules or secondary messengers. Metabolic reprogramming has been recognized as a hallmark of cancer, but changes in lipid metabolism in cancer have received less attention compared to glucose or glutamine metabolism. However, recent innovations in mass spectrometry- and chromatography-based lipidomics technologies have increased our understanding of the role of lipids in cancer. Changes in lipid metabolism, so-called “lipid metabolic reprogramming”, can affect cellular functions including the cell cycle, proliferation, growth, and differentiation, leading to carcinogenesis. Moreover, interactions between cancer cells and adjacent immune cells through altered lipid metabolism are known to support tumor growth and progression. Characterization of cancer-specific lipid metabolism can be used to identify novel metabolic targets for cancer treatment, and indeed, several clinical trials are currently underway. Thus, we discuss the latest findings on the roles of lipid metabolism in cancer biology and introduce current advances in lipidomics technologies, focusing on their applications in cancer research.

1991 ◽  
Vol 621 (1 Physiological) ◽  
pp. 277-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
GEORG WICK ◽  
LUKAS A. HUBER ◽  
XU QING-BO ◽  
ELMAR JAROSCH ◽  
DIETHER SCHÖNITZER ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica AS Barros ◽  
Sahar Magen ◽  
Taly Lapidot-Cohen ◽  
Leah Rosental ◽  
Yariv Brotman ◽  
...  

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that mediates the degradation of cytoplasmic components in eukaryotic cells. In plants, autophagy has been extensively associated with the recycling of proteins during carbon starvation conditions. Even tough lipids constitute a significant energy reserve, our understanding of the function of autophagy in the management of cell lipid reserves and components remains fragmented. To further investigate the significance of autophagy in lipid metabolism, we performed an extensive lipidomic characterization of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) autophagy mutants (atg) submitted to dark-induced senescence conditions. Our results revealed an altered lipid profile in atg mutants, suggesting that autophagy affects the homeostasis of multiple lipid components under dark-induced senescence. The acute degradation of chloroplast lipids coupled with the differential accumulation of triacylglycerols (TAGs) and plastoglobuli-related transcripts indicates an alternative metabolic reprogramming towards lipid storage in atg mutants. The imbalance of lipid metabolism compromises the production of cytosolic lipid droplets and the regulation of peroxisomal lipid oxidation pathways in atg mutants.


Placenta ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 112 ◽  
pp. e33
Author(s):  
Sze Ting (Cecilia) Kwan ◽  
Manjot Virdee ◽  
Nipun Saini ◽  
Kaylee Helfrich ◽  
Susan Smith

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Cao ◽  
Huan Deng ◽  
Hao Cui ◽  
Ruiyang Zhao ◽  
Hanghang Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM1) acts as an important regulator in glucose metabolism. However, the role of PGM1 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the role of PGM1 and develop novel regimens based on metabolic reprogramming in GC. MethodsCorrelation and enrichment analysis of PGM1 was conducted based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Data derived from the Kaplan-Meier Plotter database were analyzed for correlations between PGM1 expression and survival time of GC patients. CCK-8, EdU, flow cytometry assays, generation of subcutaneous tumor and lung metastasis mouse models were used to determine growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Cell glycolysis was detected by a battery of glycolytic indicators, including lactate, pyruvic acid, ATP production and glucose uptake. Fatty Acid Synthase (FASN) activity and detection of lipid regulators levels by western blot were used to reflect on the cell lipid metabolism. ResultsCorrelation and enrichment analysis suggested that PGM1 was closely associated with cell proliferation and metabolism. PGM1 was overexpressed in GC tissues and cell lines. High PGM1 expression served as an indicator of shorter survival for specific subpopulation of GC patients, which was also correlated with some clinicopathological features, including T stage and TNM stage. Under low glucose conditions, knockdown of PGM1 significantly suppressed cell proliferation and glycolysis levels, whereas lipid metabolism was enhanced. Orlistat, as a drug that was designed to inhibit FASN activity for obesity treatment, effectively induced apoptosis, suppressed FASN activity. However, orlistat conversely increased glycolytic levels in GC cells. Orlistat exhibited more significant inhibitive effects on GC progression after knockdown of PGM1 under glucose deprivation due to combination of glycolysis and lipid metabolism. ConclusionsDownregulation of PGM1 expression under glucose deprivation synergistically enhanced anti-cancer effects of orlistat. This combination application may serve as a novel strategy for GC treatment.


Cancers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayato Nakagawa ◽  
Yuki Hayata ◽  
Satoshi Kawamura ◽  
Tomoharu Yamada ◽  
Naoto Fujiwara ◽  
...  

Metabolic reprogramming for adaptation to the local environment has been recognized as a hallmark of cancer. Although alterations in fatty acid (FA) metabolism in cancer cells have received less attention compared to other metabolic alterations such as glucose or glutamine metabolism, recent studies have uncovered the importance of lipid metabolic reprogramming in carcinogenesis. Obesity and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are well-known risk factors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and individuals with these conditions exhibit an increased intake of dietary FAs accompanied by enhanced lipolysis of visceral adipose tissue due to insulin resistance, resulting in enormous exogenous FA supplies to hepatocytes via the portal vein and lymph vessels. This “lipid-rich condition” is highly characteristic of obesity- and NASH-driven HCC. Although the way in which HCC cells adapt to such a condition and exploit it to aid their progression is not understood, we recently obtained new insights into this mechanism through lipid metabolic reprogramming. In addition, accumulating evidence supports the importance of lipid metabolic reprogramming in various situations of hepatocarcinogenesis. Thus, in this review, we discuss the latest findings regarding the role of FA metabolism pathways in hepatocarcinogenesis, focusing on obesity- and NASH-driven lipid metabolic reprogramming.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Do-Won Jeong ◽  
Seulbee Lee ◽  
Yang-Sook Chun

AbstractReprogramming of lipid metabolism has received increasing recognition as a hallmark of cancer cells because lipid dysregulation and the alteration of related enzyme profiles are closely correlated with oncogenic signals and malignant phenotypes, such as metastasis and therapeutic resistance. In this review, we describe recent findings that support the importance of lipids, as well as the transcription factors involved in cancer lipid metabolism. With recent advances in transcription factor analysis, including computer-modeling techniques, transcription factors are emerging as central players in cancer biology. Considering the limited number and the crucial role of transcription factors associated with lipid rewiring in cancers, transcription factor targeting is a promising potential strategy for cancer therapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Ta Hsieh ◽  
Hsi-Feng Tu ◽  
Muh-Hwa Yang ◽  
Yi-Fen Chen ◽  
Xiang-Yun Lan ◽  
...  

AbstractMitochondrial transcriptional factor A (TFAM) acts as a key regulatory to control mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA); the impact of TFAM and mtDNA in modulating carcinogenesis is controversial. Current study aims to define TFAM mediated regulations in head and neck cancer (HNC). Multifaceted analyses in HNC cells genetically manipulated for TFAM were performed. Clinical associations of TFAM and mtDNA encoded Electron Transport Chain (ETC) genes in regulating HNC tumourigenesis were also examined in HNC specimens. At cellular level, TFAM silencing led to an enhanced cell growth, motility and chemoresistance whereas enforced TFAM expression significantly reversed these phenotypic changes. These TFAM mediated cellular changes resulted from (1) metabolic reprogramming by directing metabolism towards aerobic glycolysis, based on the detection of less respiratory capacity in accompany with greater lactate production; and/or (2) enhanced ERK1/2-Akt-mTORC-S6 signalling activity in response to TFAM induced mtDNA perturbance. Clinical impacts of TFAM and mtDNA were further defined in carcinogen-induced mouse tongue cancer and clinical human HNC tissues; as the results showed that TFAM and mtDNA expression were significantly dropped in tumour compared with their normal counterparts and negatively correlated with disease progression. Collectively, our data uncovered a tumour-suppressing role of TFAM and mtDNA in determining HNC oncogenicity and potentially paved the way for development of TFAM/mtDNA based scheme for HNC diagnosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 292
Author(s):  
Barbara Guerra ◽  
Olaf-Georg Issinger

Uncontrolled proliferation is a feature defining cancer and it is linked to the ability of cancer cells to effectively adapt their metabolic needs in response to a harsh tumor environment. Metabolic reprogramming is considered a hallmark of cancer and includes increased glucose uptake and processing, and increased glutamine utilization, but also the deregulation of lipid and cholesterol-associated signal transduction, as highlighted in recent years. In the first part of the review, we will (i) provide an overview of the major types of lipids found in eukaryotic cells and their importance as mediators of intracellular signaling pathways (ii) analyze the main metabolic changes occurring in cancer development and the role of oncogenic signaling in supporting aberrant lipid metabolism and (iii) discuss combination strategies as powerful new approaches to cancer treatment. The second part of the review will address the emerging role of CK2, a conserved serine/threonine protein kinase, in lipid homeostasis with an emphasis regarding its function in lipogenesis and adipogenesis. Evidence will be provided that CK2 regulates these processes at multiple levels. This suggests that its pharmacological inhibition combined with dietary restrictions and/or inhibitors of metabolic targets could represent an effective way to undermine the dependency of cancer cells on lipids to interfere with tumor progression.


1989 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 624-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
A L Olson ◽  
S E Nelson ◽  
C J Rebouche

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