bims-meprid 2023-07-02 papers

Issue of 2023‒07‒02
five papers selected by
Alessandro Carrer
Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine

Biomolecules. 2023 06 05. pii: 944. [Epub ahead of print]13(6):

The Interplay between Dysregulated Metabolism and Epigenetics in Cancer.

Cellular metabolism (or energetics) and epigenetics are tightly coupled cellular processes. It is arguable that of all the described cancer hallmarks, dysregulated cellular energetics and epigenetics are the most tightly coregulated. Cellular metabolic states regulate and drive epigenetic changes while also being capable of influencing, if not driving, epigenetic reprogramming. Conversely, epigenetic changes can drive altered and compensatory metabolic states. Cancer cells meticulously modify and control each of these two linked cellular processes in order to maintain their tumorigenic potential and capacity. This review aims to explore the interplay between these two processes and discuss how each affects the other, driving and enhancing tumorigenic states in certain contexts.

Keywords: Warburg effect; cancer epigenetics; cancer hallmarks; cancer metabolism

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13060944

Mol Cancer Res. 2023 Jun 26. pii: MCR-22-0935. [Epub ahead of print]

Nrf2 drives hepatocellular carcinoma progression through acetyl-CoA-mediated metabolic and epigenetic regulatory networks.

Caixia Xi, Junfeng Pang, Amanda Barrett, Anatolij Horuzsko, Satyanarayana Ande, Nahid F Mivechi, Xingguo Zhu.

Correlations between the oxidative stress response and metabolic reprogramming have been observed during malignant tumor formation; however, the detailed mechanism remains elusive. The transcription factor Nrf2, a master regulator of the oxidative stress response, mediates metabolic reprogramming in multiple cancers. In a mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), through metabolic profiling, genome-wide gene expression, and chromatin structure analyses, we present new evidence showing that in addition to altering antioxidative stress response signaling, Nrf2 ablation impairs multiple metabolic pathways to reduce the generation of acetyl-CoA and suppress histone acetylation in tumors, but not in tumor-adjacent normal tissue. Nrf2 ablation and dysregulated histone acetylation impair transcription complex assembly on downstream target antioxidant and metabolic regulatory genes for expression regulation. Mechanistic studies indicate that the regulatory function of Nrf2 is low glucose dependent, the effect of which is demolished under energy refeeding. Together, our results implicate an unexpected effect of Nrf2 on acetyl-CoA generation, in addition to its classic antioxidative stress response regulatory activity, integrates metabolic and epigenetic programs to drive HCC progression. Implications: This study highlights that Nrf2 integrates metabolic and epigenetic regulatory networks to dictate tumor progression and that Nrf2 targeting is therapeutically exploitable in HCC treatment.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-22-0935

Redox Biol. 2023 Jun 16. pii: S2213-2317(23)00172-6. [Epub ahead of print]64 102771

Early hyperlipidemia triggers metabolomic reprogramming with increased SAH, increased acetyl-CoA-cholesterol synthesis, and decreased glycolysis.

Keman Xu, Fatma Saaoud, Ying Shao, Yifan Lu, Sheng Wu, Huaqing Zhao, Kaifu Chen, Roberto Vazquez-Padron, Xiaohua Jiang, Hong Wang, Xiaofeng Yang.

To identify metabolomic reprogramming in early hyperlipidemia, unbiased metabolome was screened in four tissues from ApoE-/- mice fed with high fat diet (HFD) for 3 weeks. 30, 122, 67, and 97 metabolites in the aorta, heart, liver, and plasma, respectively, were upregulated. 9 upregulated metabolites were uremic toxins, and 13 metabolites, including palmitate, promoted a trained immunity with increased syntheses of acetyl-CoA and cholesterol, increased S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) and hypomethylation and decreased glycolysis. The cross-omics analysis found upregulation of 11 metabolite synthetases in ApoE‾/‾ aorta, which promote ROS, cholesterol biosynthesis, and inflammation. Statistical correlation of 12 upregulated metabolites with 37 gene upregulations in ApoE‾/‾ aorta indicated 9 upregulated new metabolites to be proatherogenic. Antioxidant transcription factor NRF2-/- transcriptome analysis indicated that NRF2 suppresses trained immunity-metabolomic reprogramming. Our results have provided novel insights on metabolomic reprogramming in multiple tissues in early hyperlipidemia oriented toward three co-existed new types of trained immunity.

Keywords: Early atherosclerosis; Metabolomes; Proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory metabolites; Trained immunity; Transcriptome

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2023.102771

Cell Commun Signal. 2023 06 27. 21(1): 159

Cancer stem cell fate determination: mito-nuclear communication.

Mengchen Fan, Ying Shi, Jumei Zhao, Ling Li.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered to be responsible for tumor recurrence and metastasis. Therefore, clarification of the mechanisms involved in CSC stemness maintenance and cell fate determination would provide a new strategy for cancer therapy. Unregulated cellular energetics has been accepted as one of the hallmarks of cancer cells, but recent studies have revealed that mitochondrial metabolism can also actively determine CSC fate by affecting nuclear stemness gene expression. Herein, from the perspective of mito-nuclear communication, we review recent progress on the influence of mitochondria on CSC potential from four aspects: metabolism, dynamics, mitochondrial homeostasis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Video Abstract.

Keywords: Cancer stem cells (CSCs); Cell fate determination; Mito-nuclear communication; Mitochondria

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12964-023-01160-x

Science. 2023 Jun 30. 380(6652): 1372-1380

Metabolic orchestration of cell death by AMPK-mediated phosphorylation of RIPK1.

Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity is stimulated to promote metabolic adaptation upon energy stress. However, sustained metabolic stress may cause cell death. The mechanisms by which AMPK dictates cell death are not fully understood. We report that metabolic stress promoted receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) activation mediated by TRAIL receptors, whereas AMPK inhibited RIPK1 by phosphorylation at Ser415 to suppress energy stress-induced cell death. Inhibiting pS415-RIPK1 by Ampk deficiency or RIPK1 S415A mutation promoted RIPK1 activation. Furthermore, genetic inactivation of RIPK1 protected against ischemic injury in myeloid Ampkα1-deficient mice. Our studies reveal that AMPK phosphorylation of RIPK1 represents a crucial metabolic checkpoint, which dictates cell fate response to metabolic stress, and highlight a previously unappreciated role for the AMPK-RIPK1 axis in integrating metabolism, cell death, and inflammation.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abn1725