Title:Metabolic Remodeling Induced by Adipocytes: A New Achilles' Heel in Invasive Breast Cancer?
VOLUME: 27 ISSUE: 24
Author(s):Camille Attané*, Delphine Milhas, Andrew J. Hoy and Catherine Muller
Affiliation:Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 205 Route de Narbonne, 31077 Toulouse Cedex, Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 205 Route de Narbonne, 31077 Toulouse Cedex, Discipline of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Sydney, Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 205 Route de Narbonne, 31077 Toulouse Cedex
Keywords:Breast cancer, adipocyte, metabolic remodeling, lipolysis, fatty acid oxidation, obesity, tumor microenvironment.
Abstract:Metabolic reprogramming represents an important hallmark of cancer cells. Besides
de novo fatty acid synthesis, it is now clear that cancer cells can acquire Fatty Acids
(FA) from tumor-surrounding adipocytes to increase their invasive capacities. Indeed, adipocytes
release FA in response to tumor secreted factors that are transferred to tumor cells to be
either stored as triglycerides and other complex lipids or oxidized in mitochondria. Like all
cells, FA can be released over time from triglyceride stores through lipolysis and then oxidized
in mitochondria in cancer cells. This metabolic interaction results in specific metabolic
remodeling in cancer cells, and underpins adipocyte stimulated tumor progression. Lipolysis
and fatty acid oxidation therefore represent novel targets of interest in the treatment of cancer.
In this review, we summarize the recent advances in our understanding of the metabolic reprogramming
induced by adipocytes, with a focus on breast cancer. Then, we recapitulate recent
reports studying the effect of lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation inhibitors on tumor cells
and discuss the interest to target these metabolic pathways as new therapeutic approaches for
cancer.