Dysregulated lipid metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma cancer stem cells

According to the stem cell theory for cancer, hepatocellular carcinomas are sustained by a group of cancer stem cells (CSCs) which are responsible for resistance to chemotherapy. In the present study we aimed to examine lipid metabolism in cancer stem cells induced by long-term treatment with sorafe...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Bort Bueno, Alicia Carmen|||0000-0003-1490-5823, Sánchez Gómez, Belén|||0000-0003-0971-1522, Miguel García, Irene de|||0000-0002-3509-7813, Mateos Gómez, Pedro Antonio|||0000-0002-5539-2289, Díaz-Laviada Marturet, Inés Cecilia|||0000-0001-9704-4373
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)
Repositorio:e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcalá
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ebuah.uah.es:10017/60630
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10017/60630
https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11033-020-05352-3
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:HepG2
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Huh7
Lipid metabolism
Sorafenib
cancer stem cells
Medicina
Medicine
Descripción
Sumario:According to the stem cell theory for cancer, hepatocellular carcinomas are sustained by a group of cancer stem cells (CSCs) which are responsible for resistance to chemotherapy. In the present study we aimed to examine lipid metabolism in cancer stem cells induced by long-term treatment with sorafenib and its relationship with acquisition of a CSC-like phenotype. Two cell lines (HepG2SF1 and Huh7SF1) were generated by incubation with a step-wise increase of sorafenib concentrations for 10 months. These cell lines displayed stem-like characteristics like increase in the expression of ABCB1A, Nanog and Oct4 as well as an E-cadherin/N-cadherin switch. HepG2SF1 and Huh7SF1 cells showed intracellular accumulation of neutral lipids, assessed by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. The exam of lipid metabolism revealed that HepG2SF1 and Huh7SF1 cells increased the expression of the enzymes involved in de novo lipid synthesis ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and fatty acid synthase (FASN) and that of the fatty acid transporter CD36. In addition, these CSC-like cells had enhanced expression of the lipogenic transcription factor SREBP1c. Analysis of the key metabolic sensor AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) demonstrated that both AMPK phosphorylation and levels were decreased in the CSC-like cells compared to their parental cells. Interestingly, transfection of HepG2SF1 and Huh7SF1 cells with AMPK, restored the levels of the lipogenic enzymes and SREBP1c and decreased the intracellular lipid accumulation. Furthermore, AMPK transfection decreased the stemness markers and inhibited the E-cadherin/N-cadherin switch. Targeting AMPK and lipid metabolism of hepatocellular cancer stem cells is a promising strategy to face stemness and chemotherapy resistance.