Wednesday, February 8, 2023
SCIENMAG: Latest Science and Health News
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag - Latest science news from science magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home Latest News

Moffitt researchers identify pathway that regulates lipid synthesis and contributes to tumor survival

May 10, 2022
in Latest News
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

TAMPA, Fla. — Alterations in metabolic processes are a hallmark of cancer and can lead to a tumor environment that is acidic. As a result, cancer cells must adapt to survive in this inhospitable environment. In a new study published in the journal Cell Reports, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers show that cancer cells in an acidic environment undergo lipid synthesis and accumulation. The team identified the key signaling molecules responsible for these changes and discovered that these alterations are associated with poor outcomes and disease progression among breast cancer patients.

Cancer cells undergo numerous changes that promote cell survival and continued growth. One of the hallmark changes of cancer cells is the increased breakdown of the sugar glucose, which when combined with poor blood flow, leads to the development of a highly acidic surrounding tumor environment. To survive in this environment, cancer cells undergo adaptations, such as activation of the self-degradation and recycling process called autophagy, and the accumulation of lipid fat droplets. Lipid droplets play an important role in the regulation of energy, metabolism and signal transduction; however, scientists are unsure how lipid droplets accumulate in tumor cells or what their impact is on cancer survival and progression.

Moffitt researchers performed a series of laboratory experiments with cell lines and mouse models to improve their understanding of lipid droplets in cancer. They discovered that breast cancer cell lines grown in acidic conditions accumulate intracellular lipid droplets that express the lipid droplets biomarker protein PLIN2. Lipid droplets formed when a protein in the cellular membrane called OGR1 sensed the presence of the acidic environment. OGR1 subsequently activated downstream signal transduction through the proteins phospholipase C and PI3K/AKT, which led to the formation of lipid droplets from the products of amino acids that had undergone a metabolic breakdown into smaller components.

Next, the team wanted to assess the biological effects of lipid droplets and OGR1 on cancer. Interestingly, the acid sensing receptor OGR1 is highly expressed in breast tumors and strongly associated with disease progression. They demonstrated that by targeting OGR1, they could reduce levels of lipid droplets, inhibit stress responses and cell growth in acidic conditions, and decrease tumor growth in mice. Additionally, the researchers discovered that high expression of the lipid droplets biomarker PLIN2 was associated with shorter survival and disease progression in breast cancer patients.

These combined observations suggest that lipid droplets formation mediated by OGR1 is an important contributor to tumor development and may be a potential target for anti-cancer drugs.

“Recent studies have established reprogramming of lipid metabolism as an emerging hallmark of many cancers, providing opportunities for therapeutic targeting. Many lipid inhibitors are being investigated as anticancer drugs in clinical trials. Our studies provide a strong foundation for future investigations that will lead to a more detailed characterization of the role of OGR1 in ER stress response, autophagy and lipogenesis in animal models and human breast tumors,” explained Smitha Pillai, Ph.D., lead study author and a research scientist in the Cancer Physiology Department at Moffitt.

This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R010-17536-99-02, R01-DK105346, P41-GM122698, 5U2C-DK119889, P30-CA076292), the Florida Department of Health Bankhead-Coley Cancer Research Program, the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, the McKnight Brain Institute at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory’s Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Facility (National Science Foundation Cooperative Agreement DMR-1644779) and the European Research Council Consolidator Grant “Survive” (723997).

About Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt is dedicated to one lifesaving mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. The Tampa-based facility is one of only 52 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt’s scientific excellence, multidisciplinary research, and robust training and education. Moffitt’s expert nursing staff is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet® status, its highest distinction. With more than 7,500 team members, Moffitt has an economic impact in the state of $2.4 billion. For more information, call 1-888-MOFFITT (1-888-663-3488), visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the momentum on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. 

###



Journal

Cell Reports

DOI

10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110796

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Cells

Article Title

Lipogenesis mediated by OGR1 regulates metabolic adaptation to acid stress in cancer cells via autophagy

Article Publication Date

10-May-2022

Tags: contributesidentifyLipidMoffittpathwayregulatesresearcherssurvivalsynthesistumor
Share25Tweet16Share4ShareSendShare
  • Anu SBIR grant

    Anu, previously gropod, awarded nearly $1 million competitive grant from the National Science Foundation

    83 shares
    Share 33 Tweet 21
  • International group of scientists warns nuclear radiation has devastating impacts on ecosystems

    78 shares
    Share 31 Tweet 20
  • New experimental treatment can stop the growth of schwannoma tumors

    160 shares
    Share 64 Tweet 40
  • Null results research now published by major behavioral medicine journal

    561 shares
    Share 224 Tweet 140
  • In search of the invisible galaxy

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • Latin American and Caribbean researchers detail colonialism in ornithology

    66 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 17
ADVERTISEMENT

About us

We bring you the latest science news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Latest NEWS

Anu, previously gropod, awarded nearly $1 million competitive grant from the National Science Foundation

Face masks cut distance airborne pathogens could travel in half, new study finds

Looking beyond microplastics, Oregon State researchers find that cotton and synthetic microfibers impact behavior and growth of aquatic organisms

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 205 other subscribers

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In