Breast cancer metabolic cross-talk: Fibroblasts are hubs and breast cancer cells are gatherers of lipids

Publication date: Available online 22 January 2017
Source:Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology
Author(s): Filipa Lopes-Coelho, Saudade André, Ana Félix, Jacinta Serpa
The cellular components of microenvironment are partners of cancer cells, sharing soluble factors and organic molecules to accomplish tumor energy and biomass demands. We tested the role of fibroblasts in fatty acids metabolism in breast cancer, addressing fatty acid synthase (FASN) expression and activity, the expression of lipids chaperons (FABPs) and transporters (FATPs) and lipids cellular content.We showed that the lipids increased in cancer cells exposed to fibroblasts conditioned media, showing that lipids transfer is crucial in this metabolic cross-talk. Accordingly, the exposure of cancer cells to cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) conditioned media decreased FABP2 and FABP3 and increased FATP1 expression, whose function is independent of FABPs. The in vivo experiment corroborates the role of CAFs.Our study is one more step toward the understanding of metabolic dynamics between cancer cells and CAFs, disclosing FATP1 as a putative target to disturb the lipids transport from CAFs to breast cancer cells.



http://ift.tt/2jh1pmI