Abstract IA03: Metabolic heterogeneity in cancer cells and tumors

Most diseases are accompanied by altered metabolism at the cellular level. In cancer, metabolic reprogramming that is, the regulated alteration of metabolism as a consequence of tumorigenic mutations and other factors is viewed as an essential component of malignant transformation. Research in cancer metabolism is motivated in part by the hope that understanding the basis of metabolic reprogramming will stimulate the development of new approaches in cancer imaging and therapy, both of which have historically capitalized on the altered metabolic states of tumors. Over the past decade, a large number of mechanisms by which oncogene-directed perturbations of signal transduction regulate intermediary metabolism have been defined. Conversely, it has also become apparent that metabolites themselves influence gene expression and signaling in ways that appear to promote malignancy. However, there is still little agreement as to the breadth of metabolic programs that can support cancer cell survival and growth, and more importantly, about which of the myriad metabolic activities observed in culture are relevant to bona fide tumor metabolism in vivo. I will discuss approaches to address these two challenges. First, I will discuss efforts to link functional metabolic pathway choices with oncogenotypes, gene expression networks and therapeutic sensitivities using a systematic analysis of a large panel of lung cancer cell lines. In these studies, cell-autonomous metabolic phenotypes were ...
Source: Molecular Cancer Research - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Alterations of Nutrient/Fuel Sensing in Cancer: Oral Presentations - Invited Abstracts Source Type: research