Iron granules in plasma cells

AMPK Activation Serves as a Common Pro-Survival Pathway in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Cells

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a subtype of esophageal cancer that is difficult to treat, with overall poor survival and frequent recurrence despite curative-intent treatment strategies. There is limited understanding of EAC resistance mechanisms to chemotherapy or radiation. We have found that the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) can serve a pro-survival function in EAC cells in response to cytotoxic treatments. Treatment with the IL-6 inhibitor tocilizumab, which previously has been shown to inhibit EAC organoid growth, resulted in the activation of AMPK in the OE33 EAC cell line, which was accompanied by a decrease in MTORC1 signaling and an increase in oxidative mitochondrial metabolism, both known downstream effects of AMPK activation to promote cell survival under conditions of metabolic stress. This increase in oxidative metabolism was abrogated in cells with a genetic knockdown of AMPK expression. Furthermore, we found that AMPK was activated in OE33 cells following treatment with cisplatin or ionizing radiation. Treatment with the AMPK inhibitor Compound C or genetic knockdown of AMPK expression enhanced cell death in a synergistic manner with chemotherapeutics or ionizing radiation. These findings were recapitulated in human patient-derived EAC organoids, suggesting that AMPK may be a common pro-survival mechanism to confer treatment resistance in EAC and may serve as a novel target to enhance the efficacy of current and future treatment strategies.

Reprogramming of glucose metabolism: The hallmark of malignant transformation and target for advanced diagnostics and treatments

Reprogramming of cancer metabolism has become increasingly concerned over the last decade, particularly the reprogramming of glucose metabolism, also known as the "Warburg effect". The reprogramming of glucose metabolism is considered a novel hallmark of human cancers. A growing number of studies have shown that reprogramming of glucose metabolism can regulate many biological processes of cancers, including carcinogenesis, progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. In this review, we summarize the major biological functions, clinical significance, potential targets and signaling pathways of glucose metabolic reprogramming in human cancers. Moreover, the applications of natural products and small molecule inhibitors targeting glucose metabolic reprogramming are analyzed, some clinical agents targeting glucose metabolic reprogramming and trial statuses are summarized, as well as the pros and cons of targeting glucose metabolic reprogramming for cancer therapy are analyzed. Overall, the reprogramming of glucose metabolism plays an important role in the prediction, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human cancers. Glucose metabolic reprogramming-related targets have great potential to serve as biomarkers for improving individual outcomes and prognosis in cancer patients. The clinical innovations related to targeting the reprogramming of glucose metabolism will be a hotspot for cancer therapy research in the future. We suggest that more high-quality clinical trials with more abundant drug formulations and toxicology experiments would be beneficial for the development and clinical application of drugs targeting reprogramming of glucose metabolism.This review will provide the researchers with the broader perspective and comprehensive understanding about the important significance of glucose metabolic reprogramming in human cancers.

Metabolic reprogramming of poly(morpho)nuclear giant cells determines glioblastoma recovery from doxorubicin-induced stress

BACKGROUND

Multi-drug resistance of poly(morpho)nuclear giant cells (PGCs) determines their cytoprotective and generative potential in cancer ecosystems. However, mechanisms underlying the involvement of PGCs in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) adaptation to chemotherapeutic regimes remain largely obscure. In particular, metabolic reprogramming of PGCs has not yet been considered in terms of GBM recovery from doxorubicin (DOX)-induced stress.

METHODS

Long-term proteomic and metabolic cell profiling was applied to trace the phenotypic dynamics of GBM populations subjected to pulse DOX treatment in vitro, with a particular focus on PGC formation and its metabolic background. The links between metabolic reprogramming, drug resistance and drug retention capacity of PGCs were assessed, along with their significance for GBM recovery from DOX-induced stress.

RESULTS

Pulse DOX treatment triggered the transient formation of PGCs, followed by the appearance of small expanding cell (SEC) clusters. Development of PGCs was accompanied by the mobilization of their metabolic proteome, transient induction of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and differential intracellular accumulation of NADH, NADPH, and ATP. The metabolic background of PGC formation was confirmed by the attenuation of GBM recovery from DOX-induced stress following the chemical inhibition of GSK-3β, OXPHOS, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Concurrently, the mobilization of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging systems and fine-tuning of NADPH-dependent ROS production systems in PGCs was observed. These processes were accompanied by perinuclear mobilization of ABCB1 and ABCG2 transporters and DOX retention in the perinuclear PGC compartments.

CONCLUSIONS

These data demonstrate the cooperative pattern of GBM recovery from DOX-induced stress and the crucial role of metabolic reprogramming of PGCs in this process. Metabolic reprogramming enhances the efficiency of self-defense systems and increases the DOX retention capacity of PGCs, potentially reducing DOX bioavailability in the proximity of SECs. Consequently, the modulation of PGC metabolism is highlighted as a potential target for intervention in glioblastoma treatment.

Low Cell Bioenergetic Metabolism Characterizes Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients with Unfavorable Genetic Factors and with a Better Response to BTK Inhibition

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is an indolent malignancy characterized by the accumulation of quiescent mature B cells. However, these cells are transcriptionally and translationally active, implicating an active metabolism. The recent literature suggests that CLL cells have an oxidative-type phenotype. Given the role of cell metabolism, which is able to influence the outcome of treatments, in other neoplasms, we aimed to assess its prognostic role in CLL patients by determining the ex vivo bioenergetic metabolic profile of CLL cells, evaluating the correlation with the patient clinical/biological characteristics and the in vivo response to BTK inhibitor treatment. Clustering analysis of primary samples identified two groups, characterized by low (CLL low) or high (CLL high) bioenergetic metabolic rates. Compared to the CLL high, CLL with lower bioenergetic metabolic rates belonged to patients characterized by a statistically significant higher white blood cell count and by unfavorable molecular genetics. More importantly, patients in the CLL low cluster displayed a better and more durable response to the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib, thus defining a bioenergetic metabolic subgroup that can benefit the most from this therapy.

Modulation of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Is a Possible Underlying Mechanism for Inducing Chemoresistance in MIA PaCa-2 Cells against Gemcitabine and Paclitaxel

To elucidate the currently unknown molecular mechanisms responsible for the similarity and difference during the acquirement of resistance against gemcitabine (GEM) and paclitaxel (PTX) in patients with pancreatic carcinoma, we examined two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) cultures of parent MIA PaCa-2 cells (MIA PaCa-2-PA) and their GEM resistance cell line (MIA PaCa-2-GR) and PTX resistance (MIA PaCa-2-PR). Using these cells, we examined 3D spheroid configurations and cellular metabolism, including mitochondrial and glycolytic functions, with a Seahorse bio-analyzer and RNA sequencing analysis. Compared to the MIA PaCa-2-PA, (1) the formation of the 3D spheroids of MIA PaCa-2-GR or -PR was much slower, and (2) their mitochondrial and glycolytic functions were greatly modulated in MIA PaCa-2-GR or -PR, and such metabolic changes were also different between their 2D and 3D culture conditions. RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using an ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) suggested that various modulatory factors related to epithelial -mesenchymal transition (EMT) including STAT3, GLI1, ZNF367, NKX3-2, ZIC2, IFIT2, HEY1 and FBLX, may be the possible upstream regulators and/or causal network master regulators responsible for the acquirement of drug resistance in MIA PaCa-2-GR and -PR. In addition, among the prominently altered DEGs (Log2 fold changes more than 6 or less than -6), FABP5, IQSEC3, and GASK1B were identified as unique genes associated with their antisense RNA or pseudogenes, and among these, FABP5 and GASK1B are known to function as modulators of cancerous EMT. Therefore, the observations reported herein suggest that modulations of cancerous EMT may be key molecular mechanisms that are responsible for inducing chemoresistance against GEM or PTX in MIA PaCa-2 cells.

Alteration of glucose metabolism and expression of glucose transporters in ovarian cancer

Aerobic glycolysis also known as the Warburg effect, remains a hallmark of various cancers, including ovarian cancer. Cancer cells undergo metabolic changes to sustain their tumorigenic properties and adapt to environmental conditions, such as hypoxia and nutrient starvation. Altered metabolic pathways not only facilitate ovarian cancer cells' survival and proliferation but also endow them to metastasize, develop resistance to chemotherapy, maintain cancer stem cell phenotype, and escape anti-tumor immune responses. Glucose transporters (GLUTs), which play a pivotal role as the rate-limiting step in glycolysis, are frequently overexpressed in a variety of tumors, including ovarian cancer. Multiple oncoproteins can regulate GLUT proteins, promoting tumor proliferation, migration, and metastasis, either dependent or independent of glycolysis. This review examines the alteration of GLUT proteins, particularly GLUT1, in ovarian cancer and its impact on cancer initiation, progression, and resistance to treatment. Additionally, it highlights the role of these proteins as biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis in ovarian cancer, and delves into novel therapeutic strategies currently under development that target GLUT isoforms.

The Impact of Cancer Stem Cells in Colorectal Cancer

Despite incessant research, colorectal cancer (CRC) is still one of the most common causes of fatality in both men and women worldwide. Over time, advancements in medical treatments have notably enhanced the survival rates of patients with colorectal cancer. Managing metastatic CRC involves a complex tradeoff between the potential benefits and adverse effects of treatment, considering factors like disease progression, treatment toxicity, drug resistance, and the overall impact on the patient's quality of life. An increasing body of evidence highlights the significance of the cancer stem cell (CSC) concept, proposing that CSCs occupy a central role in triggering cancer. CSCs have been a focal point of extensive research in a variety of cancer types, including CRC. Colorectal cancer stem cells (CCSCs) play a crucial role in tumor initiation, metastasis, and therapy resistance, making them potential treatment targets. Various methods exist for isolating CCSCs, and understanding the mechanisms of drug resistance associated with them is crucial. This paper offers an overview of the current body of research pertaining to the comprehension of CSCs in colorectal cancer.

Treating liver cancer through arginine depletion

Liver cancer, the sixth most common cancer globally and the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths, presents a critical public health threat. Diagnosis often occurs in advanced stages of the disease, aligning incidence with fatality rates. Given that established treatments, such as stereotactic body radiation therapy and transarterial radioembolization, face accessibility and affordability challenges, the emerging focus on cancer cell metabolism, particularly arginine (Arg) depletion, offers a promising research avenue. Arg-depleting enzymes show efficacy against Arg-auxotrophic cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thus, in this review, we explore the limitations of current therapies and highlight the potential of Arg depletion, emphasizing various Arg-hydrolyzing enzymes in clinical development.

Insights into the roles of non-coding RNAs and angiogenesis in glioblastoma: An overview of current research and future perspectives

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive type of primary brain cancer with a poor prognosis, and despite intensive research, survival rates have not significantly improved. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are emerging as critical regulators of GBM pathogenesis, including angiogenesis, which is essential for tumor growth and invasion. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been identified as regulators of angiogenesis in GBM. miRNAs such as miR-21, miR-10b, and miR-26a promote angiogenesis by targeting anti-angiogenic factors, while lncRNAs such as H19 and MALAT1 inhibit angiogenesis by regulating pro-angiogenic factors. CircRNAs, such as circSMARCA5 and circBACH2, also regulate angiogenesis through various mechanisms. Similarly, signaling pathways such as the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway play critical roles in angiogenesis and have been targeted for GBM therapy. However, resistance to anti-angiogenic therapies is a significant obstacle in clinical practice. Developing novel therapeutic strategies targeting ncRNAs and angiogenesis is a promising approach for GBM. Potential targets include miRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs, and downstream signaling pathways that regulate angiogenesis. This review highlights the critical roles of ncRNAs and angiogenesis in GBM pathogenesis and the potential for new therapeutic strategies targeting these pathways to improve the prognosis and quality of life for GBM patients.

Impact of Resistance on Therapeutic Design: A Moran Model of Cancer Growth

Resistance of cancers to treatments, such as chemotherapy, largely arise due to cell mutations. These mutations allow cells to resist apoptosis and inevitably lead to recurrence and often progression to more aggressive cancer forms. Sustained-low dose therapies are being considered as an alternative over maximum tolerated dose treatments, whereby a smaller drug dosage is given over a longer period of time. However, understanding the impact that the presence of treatment-resistant clones may have on these new treatment modalities is crucial to validating them as a therapeutic avenue. In this study, a Moran process is used to capture stochastic mutations arising in cancer cells, inferring treatment resistance. The model is used to predict the probability of cancer recurrence given varying treatment modalities. The simulations predict that sustained-low dose therapies would be virtually ineffective for a cancer with a non-negligible probability of developing a sub-clone with resistance tendencies. Furthermore, calibrating the model to in vivo measurements for breast cancer treatment with Herceptin, the model suggests that standard treatment regimens are ineffective in this mouse model. Using a simple Moran model, it is possible to explore the likelihood of treatment success given a non-negligible probability of treatment resistant mutations and suggest more robust therapeutic schedules.

TAB182 regulates glycolytic metabolism by controlling LDHA transcription to impact tumor radiosensitivity

Metabolic reprogramming, a hallmark of cancer, is closely associated with tumor development and progression. Changes in glycolysis play a crucial role in conferring radiation resistance to tumor cells. How radiation changes the glycolysis status of cancer cells is still unclear. Here we revealed the role of TAB182 in regulating glycolysis and lactate production in cellular response to ionizing radiation. Irradiation can significantly stimulate the production of TAB182 protein, and inhibiting TAB182 increases cellular radiosensitivity. Proteomic analysis indicated that TAB182 influences several vital biological processes, including multiple metabolic pathways. Knockdown of TAB182 results in decreased lactate production and increased pyruvate and ATP levels in cancer cells. Moreover, knocking down TAB182 reverses radiation-induced metabolic changes, such as radioresistant-related lactate production. TAB182 is necessary for activating LDHA transcription by affecting transcription factors SP1 and c-MYC; its knockdown attenuates the upregulation of LDHA by radiation, subsequently suppressing lactate production. Targeted suppression of TAB182 significantly enhances the sensitivity of murine xenograft tumors to radiotherapy. These findings advance our understanding of glycolytic metabolism regulation in response to ionizing radiation, which may offer significant implications for developing new strategies to overcome tumor radioresistance.

Joint analysis of mutational and transcriptional landscapes in human cancer reveals key perturbations during cancer evolution

BACKGROUND

Tumors are able to acquire new capabilities, including traits such as drug resistance and metastasis that are associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes. Single-cell technologies have made it possible to study both mutational and transcriptomic profiles, but as most studies have been conducted on model systems, little is known about cancer evolution in human patients. Hence, a better understanding of cancer evolution could have important implications for treatment strategies.

RESULTS

Here, we analyze cancer evolution and clonal selection by jointly considering mutational and transcriptomic profiles of single cells acquired from tumor biopsies from 49 lung cancer samples and 51 samples with chronic myeloid leukemia. Comparing the two profiles, we find that each clone is associated with a preferred transcriptional state. For metastasis and drug resistance, we find that the number of mutations affecting related genes increases as the clone evolves, while changes in gene expression profiles are limited. Surprisingly, we find that mutations affecting ligand-receptor interactions with the tumor microenvironment frequently emerge as clones acquire drug resistance.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that lung cancer and chronic myeloid leukemia maintain a high clonal and transcriptional diversity, and we find little evidence in favor of clonal sweeps. This suggests that for these cancers selection based solely on growth rate is unlikely to be the dominating driving force during cancer evolution.

Loss of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 1 supports proline-dependent proliferation and collagen biosynthesis in ovarian cancer

The pyruvate transporter MPC1 (mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 1) acts as a tumour-suppressor, loss of which correlates with a pro-tumorigenic phenotype and poor survival in several tumour types. In high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSOC), patients display copy number loss of MPC1 in around 78% of cases and reduced MPC1 mRNA expression. To explore the metabolic effect of reduced expression, we demonstrate that depleting MPC1 in HGSOC cell lines drives expression of key proline biosynthetic genes; PYCR1, PYCR2 and PYCR3, and biosynthesis of proline. We show that altered proline metabolism underpins cancer cell proliferation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and type I and type VI collagen formation in ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore, exploring The Cancer Genome Atlas, we discovered the PYCR3 isozyme to be highly expressed in a third of HGSOC patients, which was associated with more aggressive disease and diagnosis at a younger age. Taken together, our study highlights that targeting proline metabolism is a potential therapeutic avenue for the treatment of HGSOC.

Epigenetic regulation of bone remodeling and bone metastasis

Bone remodeling is a continuous and dynamic process of bone formation and resorption to maintain its integrity and homeostasis. Bone marrow is a source of various cell lineages, including osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which are involved in bone formation and resorption, respectively, to maintain bone homeostasis. Epigenetics is one of the elementary regulations governing the physiology of bone remodeling. Epigenetic modifications, mainly DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs, regulate stable transcriptional programs without causing specific heritable alterations. DNA methylation in CpG-rich promoters of the gene is primarily correlated with gene silencing, and histone modifications are associated with transcriptional activation/inactivation. However, non-coding RNAs regulate the metastatic potential of cancer cells to metastasize at secondary sites. Deregulated or altered epigenetic modifications are often seen in many cancers and interwound with bone-specific tropism and cancer metastasis. Histone acetyltransferases, histone deacetylase, and DNA methyltransferases are promising targets in epigenetically altered cancer. High throughput epigenome mapping and targeting specific epigenetics modifiers will be helpful in the development of personalized epi-drugs for advanced and bone metastasis cancer patients. This review aims to discuss and gather more knowledge about different epigenetic modifications in bone remodeling and metastasis. Further, it provides new approaches for targeting epigenetic changes and therapy research.

Unveiling the mechanisms and challenges of cancer drug resistance

Cancer treatment faces many hurdles and resistance is one among them. Anti-cancer treatment strategies are evolving due to innate and acquired resistance capacity, governed by genetic, epigenetic, proteomic, metabolic, or microenvironmental cues that ultimately enable selected cancer cells to survive and progress under unfavorable conditions. Although the mechanism of drug resistance is being widely studied to generate new target-based drugs with better potency than existing ones. However, due to the broader flexibility in acquired drug resistance, advanced therapeutic options with better efficacy need to be explored. Combination therapy is an alternative with a better success rate though the risk of amplified side effects is commonplace. Moreover, recent groundbreaking precision immune therapy is one of the ways to overcome drug resistance and has revolutionized anticancer therapy to a greater extent with the only limitation of being individual-specific and needs further attention. This review will focus on the challenges and strategies opted by cancer cells to withstand the current therapies at the molecular level and also highlights the emerging therapeutic options -like immunological, and stem cell-based options that may prove to have better potential to challenge the existing problem of therapy resistance. Video Abstract.

Mitochondrion: Main organelle in orchestrating cancer escape from chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

Chemoresistance is a challenging barrier to cancer therapy, and in this context, the role of mitochondria is significant. We put emphasis on key biological characteristics of mitochondria, contributing to tumor escape from various therapies, to find the "Achilles' Heel" of cancer cells for future drug design.

RECENT FINDINGS

The mitochondrion is a dynamic organelle, and its existence is important for tumor growth. Its metabolites also cooperate with cell signaling in tumor proliferation and drug resistance.

CONCLUSION

Biological characteristics of this organelle, such as redox balance, DNA depletion, and metabolic reprogramming, provide flexibility to cancer cells to cope with therapy-induced stress.

Obesity, Dietary Fats, and Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk-Potential Mechanisms Relating to Lipid Metabolism and Inflammation

Obesity is a major driving factor in the incidence, progression, and poor treatment response in gastrointestinal cancers. Herein, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the impact of obesity and its resulting metabolic perturbations across four gastrointestinal cancer types, namely, oesophageal, gastric, liver, and colorectal cancer. Importantly, not all obese phenotypes are equal. Obese adipose tissue heterogeneity depends on the location, structure, cellular profile (including resident immune cell populations), and dietary fatty acid intake. We discuss whether adipose heterogeneity impacts the tumorigenic environment. Dietary fat quality, in particular saturated fatty acids, promotes a hypertrophic, pro-inflammatory adipose profile, in contrast to monounsaturated fatty acids, resulting in a hyperplastic, less inflammatory adipose phenotype. The purpose of this review is to examine the impact of obesity, including dietary fat quality, on adipose tissue biology and oncogenesis, specifically focusing on lipid metabolism and inflammatory mechanisms. This is achieved with a particular focus on gastrointestinal cancers as exemplar models of obesity-associated cancers.

Current Advances on Nanomaterials Interfering with Lactate Metabolism for Tumor Therapy

Increasing numbers of studies have shown that tumor cells prefer fermentative glycolysis over oxidative phosphorylation to provide a vast amount of energy for fast proliferation even under oxygen-sufficient conditions. This metabolic alteration not only favors tumor cell progression and metastasis but also increases lactate accumulation in solid tumors. In addition to serving as a byproduct of glycolytic tumor cells, lactate also plays a central role in the construction of acidic and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, resulting in therapeutic tolerance. Recently, targeted drug delivery and inherent therapeutic properties of nanomaterials have attracted great attention, and research on modulating lactate metabolism based on nanomaterials to enhance antitumor therapy has exploded. In this review, the advanced tumor therapy strategies based on nanomaterials that interfere with lactate metabolism are discussed, including inhibiting lactate anabolism, promoting lactate catabolism, and disrupting the "lactate shuttle". Furthermore, recent advances in combining lactate metabolism modulation with other therapies, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, photothermal therapy, and reactive oxygen species-related therapies, etc., which have achieved cooperatively enhanced therapeutic outcomes, are summarized. Finally, foreseeable challenges and prospective developments are also reviewed for the future development of this field.

Regulatory mechanisms of one-carbon metabolism enzymes

One-carbon metabolism is a central metabolic pathway critical for the biosynthesis of several amino acids, methyl group donors, and nucleotides. The pathway mostly relies on the transfer of a carbon unit from the amino acid serine, through the cofactor folate (in its several forms), and to the ultimate carbon acceptors that include nucleotides and methyl groups used for methylation of proteins, RNA, and DNA. Nucleotides are required for DNA replication, DNA repair, gene expression, and protein translation, through ribosomal RNA. Therefore, the one-carbon metabolism pathway is essential for cell growth and function in all cells, but is specifically important for rapidly proliferating cells. The regulation of one-carbon metabolism is a critical aspect of the normal and pathological function of the pathway, such as in cancer, where hijacking these regulatory mechanisms feeds an increased need for nucleotides. One-carbon metabolism is regulated at several levels: via gene expression, posttranslational modification, subcellular compartmentalization, allosteric inhibition, and feedback regulation. In this review, we aim to inform the readers of relevant one-carbon metabolism regulation mechanisms and to bring forward the need to further study this aspect of one-carbon metabolism. The review aims to integrate two major aspects of cancer metabolism-signaling downstream of nutrient sensing and one-carbon metabolism, because while each of these is critical for the proliferation of cancerous cells, their integration is critical for comprehensive understating of cellular metabolism in transformed cells and can lead to clinically relevant insights.

In situ profiling reveals metabolic alterations in the tumor microenvironment of ovarian cancer after chemotherapy

In this study, we investigated the metabolic alterations associated with clinical response to chemotherapy in patients with ovarian cancer. Pre- and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) tissues from patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) who had poor response (PR) or excellent response (ER) to NACT were examined. Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) was performed on sections of HGSC tissues collected according to a rigorous laparoscopic triage algorithm. Quantitative MS-based proteomics and phosphoproteomics were performed on a subgroup of pre-NACT samples. Highly abundant metabolites in the pre-NACT PR tumors were related to pyrimidine metabolism in the epithelial regions and oxygen-dependent proline hydroxylation of hypoxia-inducible factor alpha in the stromal regions. Metabolites more abundant in the epithelial regions of post-NACT PR tumors were involved in the metabolism of nucleotides, and metabolites more abundant in the stromal regions of post-NACT PR tumors were related to aspartate and asparagine metabolism, phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolism, nucleotide biosynthesis, and the urea cycle. A predictive model built on ions with differential abundances allowed the classification of patients' tumor responses as ER or PR with 75% accuracy (10-fold cross-validation ridge regression model). These findings offer new insights related to differential responses to chemotherapy and could lead to novel actionable targets.

Breast Cancer Chemoresistance: Insights into the Regulatory Role of lncRNA

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a subclass of noncoding RNAs composed of more than 200 nucleotides without the ability to encode functional proteins. Given their involvement in critical cellular processes such as gene expression regulation, transcription, and translation, lncRNAs play a significant role in organism homeostasis. Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cancer worldwide and evidence has shown a relationship between aberrant lncRNA expression and BC development. One of the main obstacles in BC control is multidrug chemoresistance, which is associated with the deregulation of multiple mechanisms such as efflux transporter activity, mitochondrial metabolism reprogramming, and epigenetic regulation as well as apoptosis and autophagy. Studies have shown the involvement of a large number of lncRNAs in the regulation of such pathways. However, the underlying mechanism is not clearly elucidated. In this review, we present the principal mechanisms associated with BC chemoresistance that can be directly or indirectly regulated by lncRNA, highlighting the importance of lncRNA in controlling BC chemoresistance. Understanding these mechanisms in deep detail may interest the clinical outcome of BC patients and could be used as therapeutic targets to overcome BC therapy resistance.

ERRα promotes glycolytic metabolism and targets the NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD pathway to regulate pyroptosis in endometrial cancer

BACKGROUND

Tumor cells can resist chemotherapy-induced pyroptosis through glycolytic reprogramming. Estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα) is a central regulator of cellular energy metabolism associated with poor cancer prognosis. Herein, we refine the oncogenic role of ERRα in the pyroptosis pathway and glycolytic metabolism.

METHODS

The interaction between ERRα and HIF-1α was verified using co-immunoprecipitation. The transcriptional binding sites of ERRα and NLRP3 were confirmed using dual-luciferase reporter assay and cleavage under targets and tagmentation (CUT&Tag). Flow cytometry, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, cell mito stress test, and extracellular acidification rate analysis were performed to investigate the effects of ERRα on the pyroptosis pathway and glycolytic metabolism. The results of these experiments were further confirmed in endometrial cancer (EC)-derived organoids and nude mice. In addition, the expression of ERRα-related pyroptosis genes was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus database.

RESULTS

Triggered by a hypoxic microenvironment, highly expressed ERRα could bind to the promoter of NLRP3 and inhibit caspase-1/GSDMD signaling, which reduced inflammasome activation and increased pyroptosis resistance, thereby resulting in the resistance of cancer cells to cisplatin. Moreover, ERRα activated glycolytic rate-limiting enzyme to bridge glycolytic metabolism and pyroptosis in EC. This phenomenon was further confirmed in EC-derived organoids and nude mice. CUT & Tag sequencing and The Cancer Genome Atlas database analysis showed that ERRα participated in glycolysis and programmed cell death, which resulted in EC progression.

CONCLUSIONS

ERRα inhibits pyroptosis in an NLRP3-dependent manner and induces glycolytic metabolism, resulting in cisplatin resistance in EC cells.

Metabolic Imaging as a Tool to Characterize Chemoresistance and Guide Therapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)

After an initial response to chemotherapy, tumor relapse is frequent. This event is reflective of both the spatiotemporal heterogeneities of the tumor microenvironment as well as the evolutionary propensity of cancer cell populations to adapt to variable conditions. Because the cause of this adaptation could be genetic or epigenetic, studying phenotypic properties such as tumor metabolism is useful as it reflects molecular, cellular, and tissue-level dynamics. In triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the characteristic metabolic phenotype is a highly fermentative state. However, during treatment, the spatial and temporal dynamics of the metabolic landscape are highly unstable, with surviving populations taking on a variety of metabolic states. Thus, longitudinally imaging tumor metabolism provides a promising approach to inform therapeutic strategies, and to monitor treatment responses to understand and mitigate recurrence. Here we summarize some examples of the metabolic plasticity reported in TNBC following chemotherapy and review the current metabolic imaging techniques available in monitoring chemotherapy responses clinically and preclinically. The ensemble of imaging technologies we describe has distinct attributes that make them uniquely suited for a particular length scale, biological model, and/or features that can be captured. We focus on TNBC to highlight the potential of each of these technological advances in understanding evolution-based therapeutic resistance.

Role of exosomes in transferring chemoresistance through modulation of cancer glycolytic cell metabolism

Chemoresistance constitute a major obstacle in cancer treatment, leading to limited options and decreased patient survival. Recent studies have revealed a novel mechanism of chemoresistance acquisition: the transfer of information via exosomes, small vesicles secreted by various cells. Exosomes play a crucial role in intercellular communication by carrying proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites, influencing cancer cell behavior and response to treatment. One crucial mechanism of resistance is cancer metabolic reprogramming, which involves alterations in the cellular metabolic pathways to support the survival and proliferation of drug-resistant cancer cells. This metabolic reprogramming often includes increased glycolysis, providing cancer cells with the necessary energy and building blocks to evade the effects of chemotherapy. Notably, exosomes have been found to transport glycolytic enzymes, as identified in proteomic profiling, leading to the reprogramming of metabolic pathways, facilitating altered glucose metabolism and increased lactate production. As a result, they profoundly impact the tumor microenvironment, promoting tumor progression, survival, immune evasion, and drug resistance.Understanding the complexities of such exosome-mediated cell-to-cell communication might open new therapeutic avenues and facilitate biomarker development in managing cancers characterized by aggressive glycolytic features. Moreover, given the intricate nature of metabolic abnormalities combining future exosome-based-targeted therapies with existing treatments like chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies holds promise for achieving synergistic effects to overcome resistance and improve cancer treatment outcomes.

Secretion of acetylated amino acids by drug-induced cancer cells: perspectives on metabolic-epigenetic alterations

The emerging understanding of the super-complex and heterogeneous nature of tumor is well supported by metabolic reprogramming, leading survival advantages. Metabolic reprogramming contributes to tumor responsiveness and resistance to various antitumor drugs. Among the numerous adaptations made by cancer cells in response to drug-induced perturbations, key metabolic alterations involving amino acids and acetylated derivatives of amino acids have received special attention. Considering these implications discussed, targeting cancer-associated metabolic pathways, particularly those involving acetylated amino acids, emerges as an important avenue in the pursuit of combinatorial anticancer strategies. As a result, the introduction of mimetic acetylated amino acids represents a promising new class of inhibitors that could be used alongside traditional chemotherapy agents.

The role of Extracellular Vesicles in glycolytic and lipid metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells: Consequences for drug resistance

In order to adapt to a higher proliferative rate and an increased demand for energy sources, cancer cells rewire their metabolic pathways, a process currently recognized as a hallmark of cancer. Even though the metabolism of glucose is perhaps the most discussed metabolic shift in cancer, lipid metabolic alterations have been recently recognized as relevant players in the growth and proliferation of cancer cells. Importantly, some of these metabolic alterations are reported to induce a drug resistant phenotype in cancer cells. The acquisition of drug resistance traits severely hinders cancer treatment, being currently considered one of the major challenges of the oncological field. Evidence suggests that Extracellular Vesicles (EVs), which play a crucial role in intercellular communication, may act as facilitators of tumour progression, survival and drug resistance by modulating several aspects involved in the metabolism of cancer cells. This review aims to gather and discuss relevant data regarding metabolic reprograming in cancer, particularly involving the glycolytic and lipid alterations, focusing on its influence on drug resistance and highlighting the relevance of EVs as intercellular mediators of this process.

SOX4-SMARCA4 complex promotes glycolysis-dependent TNBC cell growth through transcriptional regulation of Hexokinase 2

Tumor cells rely on increased glycolytic capacity to promote cell growth and progression. While glycolysis is known to be upregulated in the majority of triple negative (TNBC) or basal-like subtype breast cancers, the mechanism remains unclear. Here, we used integrative genomic analyses to identify a subset of basal-like tumors characterized by increased expression of the oncogenic transcription factor SOX4 and its co-factor the SWI/SNF ATPase SMARCA4. These tumors are defined by unique gene expression programs that correspond with increased tumor proliferation and activation of key metabolic pathways, including glycolysis. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that the SOX4-SMARCA4 complex mediates glycolysis through direct transcriptional regulation of Hexokinase 2 (HK2) and that aberrant HK2 expression and altered glycolytic capacity are required to mediate SOX4-SMARCA4-dependent cell growth. Collectively, we have defined the SOX4-SMARCA4-HK2 signaling axis in basal-like breast tumors and established that this axis promotes metabolic reprogramming which is required to maintain tumor cell growth.

Rewiring of mitochondrial metabolism in therapy-resistant cancers: permanent and plastic adaptations

Deregulation of tumor cell metabolism is widely recognized as a "hallmark of cancer." Many of the selective pressures encountered by tumor cells, such as exposure to anticancer therapies, navigation of the metastatic cascade, and communication with the tumor microenvironment, can elicit further rewiring of tumor cell metabolism. Furthermore, phenotypic plasticity has been recently appreciated as an emerging "hallmark of cancer." Mitochondria are dynamic organelles and central hubs of metabolism whose roles in cancers have been a major focus of numerous studies. Importantly, therapeutic approaches targeting mitochondria are being developed. Interestingly, both plastic (i.e., reversible) and permanent (i.e., stable) metabolic adaptations have been observed following exposure to anticancer therapeutics. Understanding the plastic or permanent nature of these mechanisms is of crucial importance for devising the initiation, duration, and sequential nature of metabolism-targeting therapies. In this review, we compare permanent and plastic mitochondrial mechanisms driving therapy resistance. We also discuss experimental models of therapy-induced metabolic adaptation, therapeutic implications for targeting permanent and plastic metabolic states, and clinical implications of metabolic adaptations. While the plasticity of metabolic adaptations can make effective therapeutic treatment challenging, understanding the mechanisms behind these plastic phenotypes may lead to promising clinical interventions that will ultimately lead to better overall care for cancer patients.

Targeting mitochondrial energetics reverses panobinostat- and marizomib-induced resistance in pediatric and adult high-grade gliomas

In previous studies, we demonstrated that panobinostat, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, and bortezomib, a proteasomal inhibitor, displayed synergistic therapeutic activity against pediatric and adult high-grade gliomas. Despite the remarkable initial response to this combination, resistance emerged. Here, in this study, we aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer effects of panobinostat and marizomib, a brain-penetrant proteasomal inhibitor, and the potential for exploitable vulnerabilities associated with acquired resistance. RNA sequencing followed by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was employed to compare the molecular signatures enriched in resistant compared with drug-naïve cells. The levels of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)+ content, hexokinase activity, and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites required for oxidative phosphorylation to meet their bioenergetic needs were analyzed. Here, we report that panobinostat and marizomib significantly depleted ATP and NAD+ content, increased mitochondrial permeability and reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted apoptosis in pediatric and adult glioma cell lines at initial treatment. However, resistant cells exhibited increased levels of TCA cycle metabolites, which required for oxidative phosphorylation to meet their bioenergetic needs. Therefore, we targeted glycolysis and the electron transport chain (ETC) with small molecule inhibitors, which displayed substantial efficacy, suggesting that resistant cell survival is dependent on glycolytic and ETC complexes. To verify these observations in vivo, lonidamine, an inhibitor of glycolysis and mitochondrial function, was chosen. We produced two diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) models, and lonidamine treatment significantly increased median survival in both models, with particularly dramatic effects in panobinostat- and marizomib-resistant cells. These data provide new insights into mechanisms of treatment resistance in gliomas.

Association between adjuvant therapy and survival in colorectal cancer patients according to metabolic Warburg-subtypes

PURPOSE

Tumor location and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage guide treatment decisions in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. However, patients with the same disease stage do not benefit equally from adjuvant therapy. Hence, there remains an urgent clinical need to identify prognostic and/or predictive biomarker(s) to personalize treatment decisions. In this exploratory study, we investigated whether our previously defined metabolic Warburg-subtypes can predict which CRC patients might derive survival benefit from adjuvant therapy.

METHODS

Information regarding treatment (surgery only: n = 1451; adjuvant radiotherapy: n = 82; or adjuvant chemotherapy: n = 260) and Warburg-subtype (Warburg-low: n = 485, -moderate: n = 641, or -high: n = 667) was available for 1793 CRC patients from the Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS). Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models were used to investigate survival benefit from adjuvant therapy compared to surgery-only for the different Warburg-subtypes.

RESULTS

Patients with Warburg-moderate CRC (HRCRC-specific 0.64; 95% CI 0.47-0.86, HRoverall 0.61; 95% CI 0.47-0.80), and possibly Warburg-high CRC (HRCRC-specific 0.86; 95% CI 0.65-1.14, HRoverall 0.82; 95% CI 0.64-1.05), had survival benefit from adjuvant therapy. No survival benefit was observed for patients with Warburg-low CRC (HRCRC-specific 1.07; 95% CI 0.76-1.52, HRoverall 0.95; 95% CI 0.70-1.30). There was a significant interaction between Warburg-subtype and adjuvant therapy for CRC-specific survival (p = 0.049) and overall survival (p = 0.035).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that Warburg-subtypes may predict survival benefit from adjuvant therapy in CRC patients. A survival benefit from adjuvant therapy was observed for patients with Warburg-moderate and possibly Warburg-high CRC, but not for patients with Warburg-low CRC. Future prospective studies are necessary to validate our findings.

Plant-derived extracts and metabolic modulation in leukemia: a promising approach to overcome treatment resistance

Leukemic cells acquire complex and often multifactorial mechanisms of resistance to treatment, including various metabolic alterations. Although the use of metabolic modulators has been proposed for several decades, their use in clinical practice has not been established. Natural products, the so-called botanical drugs, are capable of regulating tumor metabolism, particularly in hematopoietic tumors, which could partly explain the biological activity attributed to them for a long time. This review addresses the most recent findings relating to metabolic reprogramming-Mainly in the glycolytic pathway and mitochondrial activity-Of leukemic cells and its role in the generation of resistance to conventional treatments, the modulation of the tumor microenvironment, and the evasion of immune response. In turn, it describes how the modulation of metabolism by plant-derived extracts can counteract resistance to chemotherapy in this tumor model and contribute to the activation of the antitumor immune system.

"DEPHENCE" system-a novel regimen of therapy that is urgently needed in the high-grade serous ovarian cancer-a focus on anti-cancer stem cell and anti-tumor microenvironment targeted therapies

Ovarian cancer, especially high-grade serous type, is the most lethal gynecological malignancy. The lack of screening programs and the scarcity of symptomatology result in the late diagnosis in about 75% of affected women. Despite very demanding and aggressive surgical treatment, multiple-line chemotherapy regimens and both approved and clinically tested targeted therapies, the overall survival of patients is still unsatisfactory and disappointing. Research studies have recently brought some more understanding of the molecular diversity of the ovarian cancer, its unique intraperitoneal biology, the role of cancer stem cells, and the complexity of tumor microenvironment. There is a growing body of evidence that individualization of the treatment adjusted to the molecular and biochemical signature of the tumor as well as to the medical status of the patient should replace or supplement the foregoing therapy. In this review, we have proposed the principles of the novel regimen of the therapy that we called the "DEPHENCE" system, and we have extensively discussed the results of the studies focused on the ovarian cancer stem cells, other components of cancer metastatic niche, and, finally, clinical trials targeting these two environments. Through this, we have tried to present the evolving landscape of treatment options and put flesh on the experimental approach to attack the high-grade serous ovarian cancer multidirectionally, corresponding to the "DEPHENCE" system postulates.

The Oligostilbene Gnetin H Is a Novel Glycolysis Inhibitor That Regulates Thioredoxin Interacting Protein Expression and Synergizes with OXPHOS Inhibitor in Cancer Cells

Since aerobic glycolysis was first observed in tumors almost a century ago by Otto Warburg, the field of cancer cell metabolism has sparked the interest of scientists around the world as it might offer new avenues of treatment for malignant cells. Our current study claims the discovery of gnetin H (GH) as a novel glycolysis inhibitor that can decrease metabolic activity and lactic acid synthesis and displays a strong cytostatic effect in melanoma and glioblastoma cells. Compared to most of the other glycolysis inhibitors used in combination with the complex-1 mitochondrial inhibitor phenformin (Phen), GH more potently inhibited cell growth. RNA-Seq with the T98G glioblastoma cell line treated with GH showed more than an 80-fold reduction in thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP) expression, indicating that GH has a direct effect on regulating a key gene involved in the homeostasis of cellular glucose. GH in combination with phenformin also substantially enhances the levels of p-AMPK, a marker of metabolic catastrophe. These findings suggest that the concurrent use of the glycolytic inhibitor GH with a complex-1 mitochondrial inhibitor could be used as a powerful tool for inducing metabolic catastrophe in cancer cells and reducing their growth.

Overexpression of CHAF1A is associated with poor prognosis, tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment and treatment resistance

Background: As distinct marker of proliferating cells, chromatin assembly factor-1 (CAF-1) was critical in DNA replication. However, there is paucity information about the clinical significance, functions and co-expressed gene network of CHAF1A, the major subunit in CAF-1, in cancer.

Methods: Bioinformatic analysis of CHAF1A and its co-expression gene network were performed using various public databases. Functional validation of CHAF1A was applied in breast cancer.

Results: Overexpression of CHAF1A was found in 20 types of cancer tissues. Elevated expression of CHAF1A was positively correlated with breast cancer progression and poor patients’ outcome. The analysis of co-expression gene network demonstrated CHAF1A was associated with not only cell proliferation, DNA repair, apoptosis, but cancer metabolism, immune system, and drug resistance. More importantly, higher expression of CHAF1A was positively correlated with immunosuppressive microenvironment and resistance to endocrine therapy and chemotherapy. Elevated expression of CHAF1A was confirmed in breast cancer tissues. Silencing of CHAF1A can significantly inhibit cell proliferation in MDA-MB-231 cells.

Conclusion: The current work suggested that overexpression of CHAF1A can be used as diagnostic and poor prognostic biomarker of breast cancer. Higher expression of CHAF1A induced fast resistance to endocrine therapy and chemotherapy, it may be a promising therapeutic target and a biomarker to predict the sensitivity of immunotherapy in breast cancer.

Epigenetic-Metabolic Interplay in the DNA Damage Response and Therapeutic Resistance of Breast Cancer

Therapy resistance is imposing a daunting challenge on effective clinical management of breast cancer. Although the development of resistance to drugs is multifaceted, reprogramming of energy metabolism pathways is emerging as a central but heterogenous regulator of this therapeutic challenge. Metabolic heterogeneity in cancer cells is intricately associated with alterations of different signaling networks and activation of DNA damage response pathways. Here we consider how the dynamic metabolic milieu of cancer cells regulates their DNA damage repair ability to ultimately contribute to development of therapy resistance. Diverse epigenetic regulators are crucial in remodeling the metabolic landscape of cancer. This epigenetic-metabolic interplay profoundly affects genomic stability of the cancer cells as well as their resistance to genotoxic therapies. These observations identify defining mechanisms of cancer epigenetics-metabolism-DNA repair axis that can be critical for devising novel, targeted therapeutic approaches that could sensitize cancer cells to conventional treatment strategies.

Tumor targeted delivery of mycobacterial adjuvant encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles showed potential anti-cancer activity and immune cell activation in tumor microenvironment

Targeting immunotherapeutics inside the tumor microenvironment (TME) with intact biological activity remains a pressing issue. Mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP), an approved adjuvant therapy for leprosy has exhibited promising results in clinical trials of lung (NSCLC) and bladder cancer. Whole MIP as well as its cell wall fraction have shown tumor growth suppression and enhanced survival in mice model of melanoma, when administered peritumorally. Clinically, peritumoral delivery remains a procedural limitation. In this study, a tumor targeted delivery system was designed, where chitosan nanoparticles loaded with MIP adjuvants, when administered intravenously showed preferential accumulation within the TME, exploiting the principle of enhanced permeability and retention effect. Bio-distribution studies revealed their highest concentration inside the tumor after 6 h of administration. Interestingly, MIP adjuvant nano-formulations significantly reduced the tumor volume in the treated groups and increased the frequency of activated immune cells inside the TME. For chemoimmunotherapeutics studies, MIP nano-formulation was combined with standard dosage regimen of Paclitaxel. Combined therapy exhibited a further reduction in tumor volume relative to either of the MIP nano formulations. From this study a three-pronged strategy emerged as the underlying mechanism; chitosan and Paclitaxel have shown direct role in tumor cell death and the MIP nano-formulation activates the tumor residing immune cells which ultimately leads to the reduced tumor growth.

Tumor microenvironment-regulating nanomedicine design to fight multi-drug resistant tumors

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a very cunning system that enables tumor cells to escape death post-traditional antitumor treatments through the comprehensive effect of different factors, thereby leading to drug resistance. Deep insights into TME characteristics and tumor resistance encourage the construction of nanomedicines that can remodel the TME against drug resistance. Tremendous interest in combining TME-regulation measurement with traditional tumor treatment to fight multidrug-resistant tumors has been inspired by the increasing understanding of the role of TME reconstruction in improving the antitumor efficiency of drug-resistant tumor therapy. This review focuses on the underlying relationships between specific TME characteristics (such as hypoxia, acidity, immunity, microorganisms, and metabolism) and drug resistance in tumor treatments. The exciting antitumor activities strengthened by TME regulation are also discussed in-depth, providing solutions from the perspective of nanomedicine design. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology.

The Influence of Mitochondrial Energy and 1C Metabolism on the Efficacy of Anticancer Drugs: Exploring Potential Mechanisms of Resistance

Mitochondria are the main energy factory in living cells. To rapidly proliferate and metastasize, neoplastic cells increase their energy requirements. Thus, mitochondria become one of the most important organelles for them. Indeed, much research shows the interplay between cancer chemoresistance and altered mitochondrial function. In this review, we focus on the differences in energy metabolism between cancer and normal cells to better understand their resistance and how to develop drugs targeting energy metabolism and nucleotide synthesis. One of the differences between cancer and normal cells is the higher nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) level, a cofactor for the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), which enhances their proliferation and helps cancer cells survive under hypoxic conditions. An important change is a metabolic switch called the Warburg effect. This effect is based on the change of energy harvesting from oxygen-dependent transformation to oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), adapting them to the tumor environment. Another mechanism is the high expression of one-carbon (1C) metabolism enzymes. Again, this allows cancer cells to increase proliferation by producing precursors for the synthesis of nucleotides and amino acids. We reviewed drugs in clinical practice and development targeting NAD+, OXPHOS, and 1C metabolism. Combining novel drugs with conventional antineoplastic agents may prove to be a promising new way of anticancer treatment.

Metabolic Reprogramming of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Cells as a Response to Chemotherapy

Prostate cancer at the castration-resistant stage (CRPC) is a leading cause of death among men due to resistance to anticancer treatments, including chemotherapy. We set up an in vitro model of therapy-induced cancer repopulation and acquired cell resistance (CRAC) on etoposide-treated CRPC PC3 cells, witnessing therapy-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) and chemoresistance among repopulating cells. Here, we explore the metabolic changes leading to chemo-induced CRAC, measuring the exchange rates cell/culture medium of 36 metabolites via Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. We studied the evolution of PC3 metabolism throughout recovery from etoposide, encompassing the degenerative, quiescent, and repopulating phases. We found that glycolysis is immediately shut off by etoposide, gradually recovering together with induction of EMT and repopulation. Instead, OXPHOS, already high in untreated PC3, is boosted by etoposide to decline afterward, though stably maintaining values higher than control. Notably, high levels of EMT, crucial in the acquisition of chemoresistance, coincide with a strong acceleration of metabolism, especially in the exchange of principal nutrients and their end products. These results provide novel information on the energy metabolism of cancer cells repopulating from cytotoxic drug treatment, paving the way for uncovering metabolic vulnerabilities to be possibly pharmacologically targeted and providing novel clinical options for CRPC.

Metabolic targeting, immunotherapy and radiation in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: Where do we go from here?

In the US, there are ~250,000 new lung cancer diagnoses and ~130,000 deaths per year, and worldwide there are an estimated 1.6 million deaths per year from this deadly disease. Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide, and it accounts for roughly a quarter of all cancer deaths in the US. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents 80-85% of these cases. Due to an enormous tobacco cessation effort, NSCLC rates in the US are decreasing, and the implementation of lung cancer screening guidelines and other programs have resulted in a higher percentage of patients presenting with potentially curable locoregional disease, instead of distant disease. Exciting developments in molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy have resulted in dramatic improvement in patients' survival, in combination with new surgical, pathological, radiographical, and radiation techniques. Concurrent platinum-based doublet chemoradiation therapy followed by immunotherapy has set the benchmark for survival in these patients. However, despite these advances, ~50% of patients diagnosed with locally advanced NSCLC (LA-NSCLC) survive long-term. In patients with local and/or locoregional disease, chemoradiation is a critical component of curative therapy. However, there remains a significant clinical gap in improving the efficacy of this combined therapy, and the development of non-overlapping treatment approaches to improve treatment outcomes is needed. One potential promising avenue of research is targeting cancer metabolism. In this review, we will initially provide a brief general overview of tumor metabolism as it relates to therapeutic targeting. We will then focus on the intersection of metabolism on both oxidative stress and anti-tumor immunity. This will be followed by discussion of both tumor- and patient-specific opportunities for metabolic targeting in NSCLC. We will then conclude with a discussion of additional agents currently in development that may be advantageous to combine with chemo-immuno-radiation in NSCLC.

Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling as a Driver of Stemness and Metabolic Reprogramming in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Simple Summary

Aberrant Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been reported to play crucial role in pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this review, we focus on the regulatory role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in cancer stemness and metabolic reprogramming, which are two emerging hallmarks of cancer. Understanding the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in regulation of the above processes reveals novel therapeutic strategy against this deadly disease.

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer death worldwide due to its high rates of tumor recurrence and metastasis. Aberrant Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been shown to play a significant role in HCC development, progression and clinical impact on tumor behavior. Accumulating evidence has revealed the critical involvement of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in driving cancer stemness and metabolic reprogramming, which are regarded as emerging cancer hallmarks. In this review, we summarize the regulatory mechanism of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and its role in HCC. Furthermore, we provide an update on the regulatory roles of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in metabolic reprogramming, cancer stemness and drug resistance in HCC. We also provide an update on preclinical and clinical studies targeting Wnt/β-catenin signaling alone or in combination with current therapies for effective cancer therapy. This review provides insights into the current opportunities and challenges of targeting this signaling pathway in HCC.

Heterogeneity of the cancer cell line metabolic landscape

The unravelling of the complexity of cellular metabolism is in its infancy. Cancer-associated genetic alterations may result in changes to cellular metabolism that aid in understanding phenotypic changes, reveal detectable metabolic signatures, or elucidate vulnerabilities to particular drugs. To understand cancer-associated metabolic transformation, we performed untargeted metabolite analysis of 173 different cancer cell lines from 11 different tissues under constant conditions for 1,099 different species using mass spectrometry (MS). We correlate known cancer-associated mutations and gene expression programs with metabolic signatures, generating novel associations of known metabolic pathways with known cancer drivers. We show that metabolic activity correlates with drug sensitivity and use metabolic activity to predict drug response and synergy. Finally, we study the metabolic heterogeneity of cancer mutations across tissues, and find that genes exhibit a range of context specific, and more general metabolic control.

MYC and therapy resistance in cancer: risks and opportunities

The MYC transcription factor, encoded by the c-MYC proto-oncogene, is activated by growth-promoting signals, and is a key regulator of biosynthetic and metabolic pathways driving cell growth and proliferation. These same processes are deregulated in MYC-driven tumors, where they become critical for cancer cell proliferation and survival. As other oncogenic insults, overexpressed MYC induces a series of cellular stresses (metabolic, oxidative, replicative, etc.) collectively known as oncogenic stress, which impact not only on tumor progression, but also on the response to therapy, with profound, multifaceted consequences on clinical outcome. On one hand, recent evidence uncovered a widespread role for MYC in therapy resistance in multiple cancer types, with either standard chemotherapeutic or targeted regimens. Reciprocally, oncogenic MYC imparts a series of molecular and metabolic dependencies to cells, thus giving rise to cancer-specific vulnerabilities that may be exploited to obtain synthetic-lethal interactions with novel anticancer drugs. Here we will review the current knowledge on the links between MYC and therapeutic responses, and will discuss possible strategies to overcome resistance through new, targeted interventions.

Site-Directed Mutants of Parasporin PS2Aa1 with Enhanced Cytotoxic Activity in Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines

Parasporin 2 has cytotoxic effects against numerous colon cancer cell lines, making it a viable alternative to traditional treatments. However, its mechanism of action and receptors remain unknown. In this study, site-directed mutagenesis was used to obtain PS2Aa1 mutants with variation in domain I at positions 256 and 257. Variants 015, 002, 3-3, 3-35, and 3-45 presented G256A, G256E, G257A, G257V, and G257E substitutions, respectively. Cytotoxicity tests were performed for the cell viability of cell lines SW480, SW620, and CaCo-2. Mutants 3-3, 3-35, and 3-45 efficiently killed the cell lines. It was found that the activated forms of caspase-3 and PARP were in higher abundance as well as increased production of γH2AX when 3-35 was used to treat CaCo-2 and SW480. To assess possible membrane-binding receptors involved in the interaction, an APN receptor blocking assay showed reduced activity of some parasporins. Hence, we performed molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations to analyze the stability of possible interactions and identify the residues that could be involved in the protein–protein interaction of PS2Aa1 and APN. We found that residues 256 and 257 facilitate the interaction. Parasporin 3-35 is promising because it has higher cytotoxicity than PS2Aa1.

Rerouting the drug response: Overcoming metabolic adaptation in KRAS-mutant cancers

Mutations in guanosine triphosphatase KRAS are common in lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers. The constitutive activity of mutant KRAS and its downstream signaling pathways induces metabolic rewiring in tumor cells that can promote resistance to existing therapeutics. In this review, we discuss the metabolic pathways that are altered in response to treatment and those that can, in turn, alter treatment efficacy, as well as the role of metabolism in the tumor microenvironment (TME) in dictating the therapeutic response in KRAS-driven cancers. We highlight metabolic targets that may provide clinical opportunities to overcome therapeutic resistance and improve survival in patients with these aggressive cancers.

Metabolic features of myeloma cells in the context of bone microenvironment: Implication for the pathophysiology and clinic of myeloma bone disease

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy characterized by the accumulation of malignant plasma cells (PCs) into the bone marrow (BM). The complex interaction between the BM microenvironment and MM PCs can lead to severe impairment of bone remodeling. Indeed, the BM microenvironment exerts a critical role in the survival of malignant PCs. Growing evidence indicates that MM cells have several metabolic features including enhanced glycolysis and an increase in lactate production through the upregulation of glucose transporters and enzymes. More recently, it has been reported that MM cells arehighly glutamine addicted. Interestingly, these metabolic changes in MM cells may affect BM microenvironment cells by altering the differentiation process of osteoblasts from mesenchymal stromal cells. The identification of glutamine metabolism alterations in MM cells and bone microenvironment may provide a rationale to design new therapeutic approaches and diagnostic tools. The osteolytic lesions are the most frequent clinical features in MM patients, often characterized by pathological fractures and acute pain. The use of the newer imaging techniques such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and combined Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computerized Tomography (CT) has been introduced into clinical practice to better define the skeletal involvement. Currently, the PET/CT with ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is the diagnostic gold standard to detect active MM bone disease due to the high glycolytic activity of MM cells. However, new tracers are actively under investigation because a portion of MM patients remains negative at the skeletal level by ¹⁸F-FDG. In this review, we will summarize the existing knowledge on the metabolic alterations of MM cells considering their impact on the BM microenvironment cells and particularly in the subsequent formation of osteolytic bone lesions. Based on this, we will discuss the identification of possible new druggable targets and the use of novel metabolic targets for PET imaging in the detection of skeletal lesions, in the staging and treatment response of MM patients.

Hepatocellular carcinoma stage: an almost loss of fatty acid metabolism and gain of glucose metabolic pathways dysregulation

Cancer cells rewire the metabolic processes beneficial for cancer cell proliferation, survival, and their progression. In this study, metabolic processes related to glucose, glutamine, and fatty acid metabolism signatures were collected from the molecular signatures database and investigated in the context of energy metabolic pathways through available genome-wide expression profiles of liver cancer cohorts by gene sets-based pathway activation scoring analysis. The outcomes of this study portray that the fatty acid metabolism, transport, and its storage related signatures are highly expressed across early stages of liver tumors and on the contrary, the gene sets related to glucose transport and glucose metabolism are prominently activated in the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) stage. Based on the results, these metabolic pathways are clearly dysregulated across specific stages of carcinogenesis. The identified dimorphic metabolic pathway dysregulation patterns are further reconfirmed by examining corresponding metabolic pathway genes expression patterns across various stages encompassing profiles. Recurrence is the primary concern in the carcinogenesis of liver tumors due to liver tissues regeneration. Hence, to further explore these dysregulation effects on recurrent cirrhosis and recurrent HCC sample containing profile GSE20140 was examined and interestingly, this result also reiterated these differential metabolic pathways dysregulation. In addition, a recently established metabolome profile for the massive panel of cancer cell-lines, including liver cancer cell-lines, was used for further exploration. These findings also reassured those differential metabolites abundance of the fatty acid and glucose metabolic pathways enlighten those dimorphic metabolic pathways dysregulation. Moreover, ROC curves of fatty acid metabolic pathway genes such as acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACACB), acyl-CoA dehydrogenase long chain (ACADL), and acyl-CoA dehydrogenase medium chain (ACADM) as well as glucose metabolic pathway genes such as phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK1), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHA1), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK1) demonstrated greater sensitivity and specificity in the corresponding stage-specific tumors with significant p-values (p < 0.05). Furthermore, overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) studies also reconfirmed that the rate-limiting genes expression of fatty acid and glucose metabolic pathways reveal better and poor survival in HCC patient cohorts, respectively. In conclusion, all these results clearly show that metabolic rewiring and the existence of two diverse metabolic pathways dysregulation involving fatty acid and glucose metabolism across the stages of liver tumors have been identified. These findings might be useful for developing therapeutic target treatments in stage-specific tumors.

Omics Analysis of Chemoresistant Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells Reveals Novel Metabolic Vulnerabilities

The emergence of drug resistance in cancer poses the greatest hurdle for successful therapeutic results and is associated with most cancer deaths. In triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), due to the lack of specific therapeutic targets, systemic chemotherapy is at the forefront of treatments, but it only benefits a fraction of patients because of the development of resistance. Cancer cells may possess an innate resistance to chemotherapeutic agents or develop new mechanisms of acquired resistance after long-term drug exposure. Such mechanisms involve an interplay between genetic, epigenetic and metabolic alterations that enable cancer cells to evade therapy. In this work, we generated and characterized a chemoresistant TNBC cell line to be used for the investigation of mechanisms that drive resistance to paclitaxel. Transcriptomic analysis highlighted the important role of metabolic-associated pathways in the resistant cells, prompting us to employ 1H-NMR to explore the metabolome and lipidome of these cells. We identified and described herein numerous metabolites and lipids that were significantly altered in the resistant cells. Integrated analysis of our omics data revealed MSMO1, an intermediate enzyme of cholesterol biosynthesis, as a novel mediator of chemoresistance in TNBC. Overall, our data provide a critical insight into the metabolic adaptations that accompany acquired resistance in TNBC and pinpoint potential new targets.

Dual contribution of the mTOR pathway and of the metabolism of amino acids in prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer in men, and its incidence increases with age. Among other risk factors, pre-existing metabolic diseases have been recently linked with prostate cancer, and our current knowledge recognizes prostate cancer as a condition with important metabolic anomalies as well. In malignancies, metabolic disorders are commonly associated with aberrations in mTOR, which is the master regulator of protein synthesis and energetic homeostasis. Although there are reports demonstrating the high dependency of prostate cancer cells for lipid derivatives and even for carbohydrates, the understanding regarding amino acids, and the relationship with the mTOR pathway ultimately resulting in metabolic aberrations, is still scarce.

CONCLUSIONS AND PERSPECTIVES

In this review, we briefly provide evidence supporting prostate cancer as a metabolic disease, and discuss what is known about mTOR signaling and prostate cancer. Next, we emphasized on the amino acids glutamine, leucine, serine, glycine, sarcosine, proline and arginine, commonly related to prostate cancer, to explore the alterations in their regulatory pathways and to link them with the associated metabolic reprogramming events seen in prostate cancer. Finally, we display potential therapeutic strategies for targeting mTOR and the referred amino acids, as experimental approaches to selectively attack prostate cancer cells.

Downregulation of miR-21 as a promising strategy to overcome drug resistance in cancer

Despite tremendous achievements in the field of targeted cancer therapy, chemotherapy is still the main treatment option, which is challenged by acquired drug resistance. Various microRNAs are involved in developing drug-resistant cells. miR-21 is one of the first identified miRNAs involved in this process. Here, we conducted a literature review to categorize different mechanisms employed by miR-21 to drive drug resistance. miR-21 targets various genes involved in many pathways that can justify chemoresistance. It alters cancer cell metabolism and facilitates adaptation to the new environment. It also enhances drug detoxification in cancerous cells and increases genomic instability. We also summarized various strategies applied for the inhibition of miR-21 in order to reverse cancer drug resistance. These strategies include the delivery of antagomiRs, miRZip knockdown vectors, inhibitory small molecules, CRISPR-Cas9 technology, catalytic nucleic acids, artificial DNA and RNA sponges, and nanostructures like mesoporous silica nanoparticles, dendrimers, and exosomes. Furthermore, current challenges and limitations in targeting miR-21 are discussed in this article. Although huge progress has been made in the downregulation of miR-21 in drug-resistant cancer cells, there are still many challenges to be resolved. More research is still required to find the best strategy and timeline for the downregulation of miR-21 and also the most feasible approach for the delivery of this system into the tumor cells. In conclusion, downregulation of miR-21 would be a promising strategy to reverse chemoresistance, but still, more studies are required to clarify the aforementioned issues.