Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 9, 2026
09:53
Quantifying the Brain Metastatic Tumor Micro-Environment using an Organ-On-A Chip 3D Model, Machine Learning, and Confocal Tomography
Published on: August 16, 2020
7.8K
The Tumor Microenvironment Modulates Choline and Lipid Metabolism
Noriko Mori1, Flonné Wildes1, Tomoyo Takagi1
1JHU ICMIC Program, Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science , Baltimore, MD , USA.
Frontiers in Oncology
|January 10, 2017
Summary
Cancer cells exhibit altered choline and lipid metabolism. Comparing cell cultures to tumors reveals significant differences due to the tumor microenvironment, impacting cancer progression.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Metabolic Engineering
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Cancer cells show increased phosphocholine (PC) and total choline (tCho) compounds, alongside lipid alterations, linked to malignancy.
- Studying cancer cell metabolism in culture is crucial but doesn't fully represent the complex tumor microenvironment (hypoxia, acidity, necrosis).
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare choline and lipid metabolism and related enzyme expression in human cancer cells cultured in vitro versus in vivo xenograft models.
- To investigate the influence of the tumor microenvironment on cancer cell metabolism.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution 1H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) of extracts from cultured human breast and prostate cancer cells and their derived solid tumor xenografts.
- Analysis of protein expression for enzymes regulating choline and lipid metabolism.
Main Results:
- Significant differences observed in choline and lipid metabolism between cultured cancer cells and their corresponding tumor xenografts.
- Distinct protein expression patterns for metabolic enzymes were found between the in vitro and in vivo models.
- The tumor microenvironment demonstrably influences cancer cell choline and lipid metabolism.
Conclusions:
- Cancer cell metabolism, particularly for choline and lipids, is substantially altered by the in vivo tumor microenvironment compared to standard cell culture.
- Understanding these metabolic shifts is vital for developing targeted cancer therapies.
Related Concept Videos
02:17The Tumor Microenvironment
8.0K
Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...
8.0K
02:07Tumor Progression
7.7K
Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
7.7K
02:53Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
7.2K
Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
7.2K
02:40Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance
6.2K
Early diagnosis and treatment can often cure cancer. However, even with treatment, residual cells called cancer stem cells (CSC) might remain, often causing tumor recurrence. These cancer stem cells possess the potential for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation and are often responsible for the therapeutic resistance displayed in most cancers.
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
6.2K
01:27Tumor Immunotherapy
2.1K
Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
2.1K