Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 regulates malignant progression of cervical cancer cells

USP14 promotes the proliferation of cervical cancer via upregulating β-catenin

In recent years, the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) has become a hot spot in medical research in cervical cancer (CC) and has received extensive attention. Among them, ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14) is involved in a wide variety of typical cell signaling pathways and is recognized to be involved in the progression of most known tumors. However, the expression and significance of USP14 in CC have not been directly studied. Through database analysis, we found that USP14 was overexpressed in CC, which influenced the FIGO stage and prognosis of CC patients, and it was positively correlated with the expression level of β-catenin. In this study, USP14 promoted the G1-S phase transition of Hela and Siha cells and inhibited cell apoptosis, thereby promoting the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CC cells. In addition, USP14 also significantly promoted the growth of subcutaneous tumor in nude mice. We also found that overexpression of USP14 significantly upregulated β-catenin expression and increased the activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. While knockdown of USP14 resulted in the opposite. These results suggest that USP14 may promote the proliferation of CC by up-regulating the expression of β-catenin, contributing to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of CC and providing a potential therapeutic target.

Advances in regulation and function of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 in cancer, from bench to bed

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) converts saturated fatty acids to monounsaturated fatty acids. The expression of SCD1 is increased in many cancers, and the altered expression contributes to the proliferation, invasion, sternness and chemoresistance of cancer cells. Recently, more evidence has been reported to further support the important role of SCD1 in cancer, and the regulation mechanism of SCD1 has also been focused. Multiple factors are involved in the regulation of SCD1, including metabolism, diet, tumor microenvironment, transcription factors, non-coding RNAs, and epigenetics modification. Moreover, SCD1 is found to be involved in regulating ferroptosis resistance. Based on these findings, SCD1 has been considered as a potential target for cancer treatment. However, the resistance of SCD1 inhibition may occur in certain tumors due to tumor heterogeneity and metabolic plasticity. This review summarizes recent advances in the regulation and function of SCD1 in tumors and discusses the potential clinical application of targeting SCD1 for cancer treatment.

Unveiling the MUFA-Cancer Connection: Insights from Endogenous and Exogenous Perspectives

Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) have been the subject of extensive research in the field of cancer due to their potential role in its prevention and treatment. MUFAs can be consumed through the diet or endogenously biosynthesized. Stearoyl-CoA desaturases (SCDs) are key enzymes involved in the endogenous synthesis of MUFAs, and their expression and activity have been found to be increased in various types of cancer. In addition, diets rich in MUFAs have been associated with cancer risk in epidemiological studies for certain types of carcinomas. This review provides an overview of the state-of-the-art literature on the associations between MUFA metabolism and cancer development and progression from human, animal, and cellular studies. We discuss the impact of MUFAs on cancer development, including their effects on cancer cell growth, migration, survival, and cell signaling pathways, to provide new insights on the role of MUFAs in cancer biology.

Metabolic dependencies and targets in ovarian cancer

Reprogramming of cellular metabolism is a hallmark of cancer. Cancer cells undergo metabolic adaptations to maintain tumorigenicity and survive under the attack of immune cells and chemotherapy in the tumor microenvironment. Metabolic alterations in ovarian cancer in part overlap with findings from other solid tumors and in part reflect unique traits. Altered metabolic pathways not only facilitate ovarian cancer cells' survival and proliferation but also endow them to metastasize, acquire resistance to chemotherapy, maintain cancer stem cell phenotype and escape the effects of anti-tumor immune defense. In this review, we comprehensively review the metabolic signatures of ovarian cancer and their impact on cancer initiation, progression, and resistance to treatment. We highlight novel therapeutic strategies targeting metabolic pathways under development.

Fatty acid metabolism: A new therapeutic target for cervical cancer

Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most common malignancies in women. Cancer cells can use metabolic reprogramming to produce macromolecules and ATP needed to sustain cell growth, division and survival. Recent evidence suggests that fatty acid metabolism and its related lipid metabolic pathways are closely related to the malignant progression of CC. In particular, it involves the synthesis, uptake, activation, oxidation, and transport of fatty acids. Similarly, more and more attention has been paid to the effects of intracellular lipolysis, transcriptional regulatory factors, other lipid metabolic pathways and diet on CC. This study reviews the latest evidence of the link between fatty acid metabolism and CC; it not only reveals its core mechanism but also discusses promising targeted drugs for fatty acid metabolism. This study on the complex relationship between carcinogenic signals and fatty acid metabolism suggests that fatty acid metabolism will become a new therapeutic target in CC.