Creatine mediated crosstalk between adipocytes and cancer cells regulates obesity-driven breast cancer
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Obesity is a major risk factor for adverse outcomes in breast cancer. Maguire, Ackerman et al. reveal Gatm and Acsbg1 as molecular regulators of obesity-driven breast cancer progression. They further show that in obesity creatine is a key metabolite in the crosstalk between adipocytes and breast tumors.
Project description:The mechanisms promoting disturbed white adipocyte function in obesity remain largely unclear. Herein, we integrate white adipose tissue (WAT) metabolomic and transcriptomic data from clinical cohorts and find that the WAT phosphocreatine/creatine ratio is increased and creatine kinase-B expression and activity is decreased in the obese state. . In human in vitro and murine in vivo models, we demonstrate that decreased phosphocreatine metabolism in white adipocytes alters AMPK activity via effects on ATP/ADP levels, independently of WAT beigeing. This disturbance promotes a pro-inflammatory profile characterized, in part, by increased CCL2 production. These data suggest that the phosphocreatine/creatine system links cellular energy shuttling with pro-inflammatory responses in human and murine white adipocytes. Our findings provide unexpected perspectives on the mechanisms driving WAT inflammation in obesity and may present avenues to target adipocyte dysfunction.
Project description:Obesity is a major risk factor for adverse outcomes in breast cancer; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated. To investigate the role of crosstalk between mammary adipocytes and neoplastic cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), we performed transcriptomic analysis of cancer cells and adjacent adipose tissue in a murine model of obesity-accelerated breast cancer and identified glycine amidinotransferase (Gatm) in adipocytes and Acsbg1 in cancer cells as required for obesity-driven tumor progression. Gatm is the rate-limiting enzyme in creatine biosynthesis, and deletion in adipocytes attenuated obesity-driven tumor growth. Similarly, genetic inhibition of creatine import into cancer cells reduced tumor growth in obesity. In parallel, breast cancer cells in obese animals upregulated the fatty acyl-CoA synthetase Acsbg1 to promote creatine-dependent tumor progression. These findings reveal key nodes in the crosstalk between adipocytes and cancer cells in the TME necessary for obesity-driven breast cancer progression.
Project description:Obesity is a risk factor for postmenopausal ERα (+) breast cancer. The metabolites from serum that contribute to this risk and how these factors affect ERα signaling are not known. Using whole metabolite profiling and a detection panel for proteins, we identified biomarkers that were differentially present in serum from obese vs. non-obese postmenopausal women, and we validated these factors in two separate cohorts of postmenopausal women who either developed breast cancer or those who were obese and lost weight after the onset of menopause. In vitro assays identified free fatty acids (FFAs), in particular oleic acid (OA) as serum factors that correlate with increased proliferation and aggressiveness in ERα(+) breast cancer cells by. FFAs activated both ERα and mTOR pathways and rewired metabolism in breast cancer cells. Pathway preferential estrogen-1 (PaPE-1), which target ERα and mTOR signaling, was able to block changes induced by FFAs. In fact, PaPEs were more effective in the presence of FFAs, suggesting a role for obesity-associated gene and metabolic rewiring in providing new targetable vulnerabilities for ERα-(+) breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Our findings provide a basis for preventing or inhibiting obesity-associated breast cancer by using PaPEs that would reverse these newly appreciated metabolic vulnerabilities of breast tumors in obese postmenopausal women.
Project description:Obesity is a risk factor for postmenopausal ERα (+) breast cancer. The metabolites from serum that contribute to this risk and how these factors affect ERα signaling are not known. Using whole metabolite profiling and a detection panel for proteins, we identified biomarkers that were differentially present in serum from obese vs. non-obese postmenopausal women, and we validated these factors in two separate cohorts of postmenopausal women who either developed breast cancer or those who were obese and lost weight after the onset of menopause. In vitro assays identified free fatty acids (FFAs), in particular oleic acid (OA) as serum factors that correlate with increased proliferation and aggressiveness in ERα(+) breast cancer cells by. FFAs activated both ERα and mTOR pathways and rewired metabolism in breast cancer cells. Pathway preferential estrogen-1 (PaPE-1), which target ERα and mTOR signaling, was able to block changes induced by FFAs. In fact, PaPEs were more effective in the presence of FFAs, suggesting a role for obesity-associated gene and metabolic rewiring in providing new targetable vulnerabilities for ERα-(+) breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Our findings provide a basis for preventing or inhibiting obesity-associated breast cancer by using PaPEs that would reverse these newly appreciated metabolic vulnerabilities of breast tumors in obese postmenopausal women.
Project description:The metabolic dependencies of cancer cells have significant potential to be exploited to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Creatine riboside (CR) is a novel urinary metabolite associated with risk and prognosis in lung and liver cancer. However, the source of high creatine riboside levels in cancer patients, as well as its implications for the treatment of these aggressive cancers remain unclear. By integrating RNA sequencing and whole exome sequencing of non-small cell lung cancer tissues we sought to understand the source of creatine riboside and the tumor biology associated with this novel metabolite. Utilising multiple lung and liver cancer cohorts, next generation sequencing data was combined with global metabolomics analysis of human tumors, and matched liquid biopsies together with functional studies to reveal that dysregulation of the mitochondrial urea cycle and nucleotide imbalance are associated with high creatine riboside levels and are indicators of poor prognosis. Creatine riboside-high cancer cells were auxotrophic for arginine, revealing a metabolic vulnerability that may be exploited therapeutically. This highlights the potential of creatine riboside not only as a poor prognosis biomarker but also as a companion biomarker to inform the administration of arginine-targeted therapies in precision medicine strategies to improve cancer patient survival.
Project description:In obesity, misalignment of feeding time with the light/dark environment results in disruption of peripheral circadian clocks. Conversely, restricting feeding to the active period mitigates metabolic syndrome through mechanisms that remain unknown. Here we show that adipocyte thermogenesis is essential for the healthful metabolic response to time restricted feeding. Genetic enhancement of adipocyte thermogenesis through ablation of Zfp423 attenuates obesity caused by circadian mistimed high fat diet feeding through a mechanism involving creatine metabolism. Circadian control of adipocyte creatine metabolism underlies timing of diet-induced thermogenesis, and enhancement of adipocyte circadian rhythms through overexpression of the clock activator Bmal1 ameliorates metabolic complications during diet induced obesity. These findings establish creatine mediated diet-induced thermogenesis as a bioenergetic mechanism driving metabolic benefits during time-restricted feeding.
Project description:Obesity is a risk factor for postmenopausal ERα (+) breast cancer. Molecular mechanisms activated by the factors from serum that contribute to this risk and how these mechanisms affect ERα signaling are yet to be elucidated. To identify such mechanisms, we performed whole metabolite and protein profiling in serum samples, which enabled us to focus on factors that were differentially present in serum from cancer-free vs. breast cancer susceptible and obese vs. non-obese post-menopausal women. These studies combined with in vitro assays identified free fatty acids (FFAs), as serum factors that correlate with increased proliferation and aggressiveness in ERα(+) breast cancer cells by. FFAs activated both ERα and mTOR pathways and rewired metabolism in breast cancer cells. Pathway preferential estrogen-1 (PaPE-1), which target ERα and mTOR signaling, was able to block changes induced by FFAs. In fact, PaPEs were more effective in the presence of FFAs, suggesting a role for obesity-associated gene and metabolic rewiring in providing new targetable vulnerabilities for ERα-(+) breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Our findings provide a basis for preventing or inhibiting obesity-associated breast cancer by using PaPEs that would reverse these newly appreciated metabolic properties of breast tumors in obese postmenopausal women.