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Breast cancers utilize hypoxic glycogen stores via PYGB, the brain isoform of glycogen phosphorylase, to promote metastatic phenotypes.

ABSTRACT: In breast cancer, tumor hypoxia has been linked to poor prognosis and increased metastasis. Hypoxia activates transcriptional programs in cancer cells that lead to increased motility and invasion, as well as various metabolic changes. One of these metabolic changes, an increase in glycogen metabolism, has been further associated with protection from reactive oxygen species damage that may lead to premature senescence. Here we report that breast cancer cells significantly increase glycogen stores in response to hypoxia. We found that knockdown of the brain isoform of an enzyme that catalyzes glycogen breakdown, glycogen phosphorylase B (PYGB), but not the liver isoform, PYGL, inhibited glycogen utilization in estrogen receptor negative and positive breast cancer cells; whereas both independently inhibited glycogen utilization in the normal-like breast epithelial cell line MCF-10A. Functionally, PYGB knockdown and the resulting inhibition of glycogen utilization resulted in significantly decreased wound-healing capability in MCF-7 cells and a decrease in invasive potential of MDA-MB-231 cells. Thus, we identify PYGB as a novel metabolic target with potential applications in the management and/or prevention of metastasis in breast cancer.

SUBMITTER: Altemus MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6752868 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Breast cancers utilize hypoxic glycogen stores via PYGB, the brain isoform of glycogen phosphorylase, to promote metastatic phenotypes.

Altemus Megan A MA Goo Laura E LE Little Andrew C AC Yates Joel A JA Cheriyan Hannah G HG Wu Zhi Fen ZF Merajver Sofia D SD

PloS one 20190919 9

In breast cancer, tumor hypoxia has been linked to poor prognosis and increased metastasis. Hypoxia activates transcriptional programs in cancer cells that lead to increased motility and invasion, as well as various metabolic changes. One of these metabolic changes, an increase in glycogen metabolism, has been further associated with protection from reactive oxygen species damage that may lead to premature senescence. Here we report that breast cancer cells significantly increase glycogen stores ...[more]

PMID: 31536495

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Project description:Background and purposeGlycogen phosphorylase (GP) is the key enzyme for glycogen degradation. GP inhibitors (GPi-s) are glucose lowering agents that cause the accumulation of glucose in the liver as glycogen. Glycogen metabolism has implications in beta cell function. Glycogen degradation can maintain cellular glucose levels, which feeds into catabolism to maintain insulin secretion, and elevated glycogen degradation levels contribute to glucotoxicity. The purpose of this study was to assess whether influencing glycogen metabolism in beta cells by GPi-s affects the function of these cells.Experimental approachThe effects of structurally different GPi-s were investigated on MIN6 insulinoma cells and in a mouse model of diabetes.Key resultsGPi treatment increased glycogen content and, consequently, the surface area of glycogen in MIN6 cells. Furthermore, GPi treatment induced insulin receptor β (InsRβ), Akt and p70S6K phosphorylation, as well as pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1(PDX1) and insulin expression. In line with these findings, GPi-s enhanced non-stimulated and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in MIN6 cells. The InsRβ was shown to co-localize with glycogen particles as confirmed by in silico screening, where components of InsR signalling were identified as glycogen-bound proteins. GPi-s also activated the pathway of insulin secretion, indicated by enhanced glycolysis, mitochondrial oxidation and calcium signalling. Finally, GPi-s increased the size of islets of Langerhans and improved glucose-induced insulin release in mice.Conclusion and implicationsThese data suggest that GPi-s also target beta cells and can be repurposed as agents to preserve beta cell function or even ameliorate beta cell dysfunction in different forms of diabetes.Linked articlesThis article is part of a themed section on Inventing New Therapies Without Reinventing the Wheel: The Power of Drug Repurposing. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.2/issuetoc.

Dataset Information

Breast cancers utilize hypoxic glycogen stores via PYGB, the brain isoform of glycogen phosphorylase, to promote metastatic phenotypes.

Publications

Breast cancers utilize hypoxic glycogen stores via PYGB, the brain isoform of glycogen phosphorylase, to promote metastatic phenotypes.

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