Imaging the metabolic reprograming of fatty acid synthesis pathway enables new diagnostic and therapeutic opportunity for breast cancer

• Published in: Cancer cell international Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 83 - 11
• Main Authors: Wang, Fukai, Ma, Shuangshuang, Chen, Panpan, Han, Yuhao, Liu, Zhaoyun, Wang, Xinzhao, Sun, Chenglong, Yu, Zhiyong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 29.04.2023; BMC
• Subjects: Antibodies; Breast cancer; Cell proliferation; Cells; Diagnosis and therapy; Enzymes; Fatty acid synthesis pathway; Fatty acids; Fatty-acid synthase; Glucose; Immunofluorescence; Ions; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectrometry imaging; Mass spectroscopy; Metabolic networks; Metabolic reprograming; Metabolism; Metabolites; Metastases; Metastasis; Scientific imaging; Signal transduction; Tissues; Fatty acid synthesis pathway; Breast cancer; Metabolic reprograming; Diagnosis and therapy; Mass spectrometry imaging
• DOI: 10.1186/s12935-023-02908-8
• ISSN: 1475-2867

Reprogrammed metabolic network is a key hallmark of cancer. Profiling cancer metabolic alterations with spatial signatures not only provides clues for understanding cancer biochemical heterogeneity, but also helps to decipher the possible roles of metabolic reprogramming in cancer development. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) technique was used to characterize the expressions of fatty acids in breast cancer tissues. Specific immunofluorescence staining was further carried out to investigate the expressions of fatty acid synthesis-related enzymes. The distributions of 23 fatty acids in breast cancer tissues have been mapped, and the levels of most fatty acids in cancer tissues are significantly higher than those in adjacent normal tissues. Two metabolic enzymes, fatty acid synthase (FASN) and acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC), which being involved in the de novo synthesis of fatty acid were found to be up-regulated in breast cancer. Targeting the up-regulation of FASN and ACC is an effective approach to limiting the growth, proliferation, and metastasis of breast cancer cells. These spatially resolved findings enhance our understanding of cancer metabolic reprogramming and give an insight into the exploration of metabolic vulnerabilities for better cancer treatment.