Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Cancer and metabolism, pt.2
- Role of metformin (antidiabetic drug) in cancer
- Increases glucose uptake in adipocytes
- Increase in lipid oxidation in muscle cells
- Decrease in liver glucose production
- Decreased insulinaemia (insulin
signals via the insulin receptor ->
acitvates both PI3K and Ras pathways)
- Activation of Akt and MAPK -> activation of
mTOR -> cell gorwth and protein synthesis
(with inhibited apoptosis and autophagy)
- Direct effects of metformin
- Inhibits mTOR by...
- Inhibition of complex 1 (inhibtion of
oxidative phosphorylation) -> activation
of AMPK (AMP-dependent kinase)
- AMPK activates TSC1/2 -> inhibits mTOR
- Inhibits RagGTPase (an activator of mTOR)
- Activates p53 -> activates REDD1 -> inhibtis mTOR
- alpha-ketoglutarate derivatives
- Competes with succinate and fumarate for prolyl hydroxylase
- In cancer... succinate and fumarate inhibit prolyl hydroxylase
- No hydroxylation of HIF1-alpha and therefore no degradation (via VHL ubiquitination)
- Using alpha-ketoglutarate derivatives (alpha-ketoglutarate is the normal
substrate) overcomes and reverses this prolyl hydroxlation inhibition
- Due to loss of SDH and FH
- mTOR (ser/thr kinase) antagonists
- Licensed for reneal cell cancer
- e.g. evrolimus, temsirolimus
- Activated mTOR (by GFs, amino
acids, energy status, oxygen)
- Protein synthesis
- Apoptosis inhibition (cell survival)
- Metabolism
- By RTKs -> activation of Ras or PI3K
pathway -> activation of mTOR
- mTOR is a member of the PI3K family - therefore an effective
treatment may include the dual blockade of both PI3K and mTOR
- Amino acid metabolism and blood cancers
- Asparagine
as a target
- Guinea-pig serum caused regression of lymphoma in a mouse
model (Kidd, 1953) - active substance was L-asparaginase
- L-asparaginase (produced in E.
coli) now given in childhood ALL
- All cells need asparagine for survival
- Lymphoma cells (e.g. ALL) have
repressed asparagine sythetase and
therefore cannot synthesise asparagine -
rely on asparagine from an outside source
- Arginine
as a target
- Arginine is an essential amino
acid - without it cells will die
- If diet is deficient normal cells can synthesise argininosuccinate (made
into arginine) by the enzyme argininosuccinate synthase (ASS1)
- Using cellular aspartate+ citrulline
- Several cancers (melanoma, hepatocellular
carcinoma (HCC), mesothelioma and renal) lack ASS
- Require an extracellular source
- PEGylated (covalently added polyethylene
glycol) arginine deaminase (ADI-PEG)
- Converts arginine to citrulline and NH3
- Promising signs in phase I/II trials in HCC
and metastatic malignant melanoma (MMM)
- Without arginine cells undergo apoptosis
- Methylation of the ASS promoter [EPIGENETIC]
- Low ASS is a sign for chemoresistance
(particularly to platinum based drugs -
cisplatin) and poor prognosis
- Seen in MMM, HCC, osteosarcoma,
mesothelioma, renal, pancreatic
and prostate cancers
- De-methylation as a treatment?
- Indicates a poor prognosis
- Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM)
- Invariably fatal
- 80% of cases linked to earlier asbestos exposure
- Long delay between exposure and disease
- After diagnosis, survival is between 9-12 months
- ~2000 deaths each year
- NICE guideline treatment - Platinum (cisplatin) and anti-folate
(methotrexate)-based therapy (gives an extra 3 montsh at best)
- Both inhibit enzymes involved in
nucleotide synthesis for DNA and RNA
- Other treatment - pemexetred (alimta)
- Inhibits all enzymes involved in nucleotide
synthesis: thymidylate synthase,
dihydroxyfolate reductase (DHFR) and GARFT
- Gives 12 months survival (in combination with standard therapy)
- ASS expression in MPM
- Many MPM cell lines have a low expression of ASS1
- Associated with a poorer prognosis - 5
months (over 12 months in ASS+ve MPM)
- Use of ADI-PEG 20 (arginine deaminase)
reduces tumour size in MPM
- ADAM trial
- Szlosarek, 2013
- Describe that the affects of ADI-PEG
are neutralised by antibodies against it
- Need to produce a less-antigenic
version of ADI (human derived?)
- Also describe the methylation of the
ASS1 promotor in many MPM cell lines
- Leading to supressed ASS1 transcription
- Summary
- Metabolism is dysregulated and is a key hallmark of cancer
involved in invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, survival etc.
- Targeting cancer metabolism is an exciting area of current
research and may provide novel therapeutic approaches
- PREVENTION (E.G. CALORIFIC
RESTRICITON) IS BETTER THAN THE CURE!