Metabolic Dysregulations and Epigenetics: A Bidirectional Interplay that Drives Tumor Progression

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Metabolic Research

Background:

• Cancer was traditionally viewed as a genetic disease driven by gene mutations.
• High-throughput technologies revealed cancer's complexity across multiple molecular levels (multi-omics).
• Emerging evidence highlights the intricate connection between cellular metabolism and epigenetic regulation in cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the bidirectional crosstalk between metabolism and epigenetics in cancer.
• To understand how this interplay contributes to tumorigenesis and malignant progression.
• To identify potential therapeutic targets based on this relationship.

Main Methods:

• Multi-omics approaches to investigate molecular alterations at genome, epigenome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome levels.
• Analysis of how oncogene-driven metabolic plasticity affects epigenetic modifications.
• Investigation of how epigenetic mechanisms regulate metabolic genes.

Main Results:

• Metabolism and epigenetics are highly intertwined, with aberrant crosstalk contributing to cancer.
• Tumor cells' metabolic plasticity alters the epigenetic landscape via metabolic byproducts.
• Epigenetic mechanisms regulate metabolic genes, influencing cell adaptation and survival.

Conclusions:

• Cancer cells leverage the epigenetics-metabolism crosstalk for aggressive traits like proliferation and metastasis.
• This crosstalk shapes the tumor microenvironment and promotes pluripotency.
• Understanding this bidirectional relationship is crucial for novel anti-cancer therapeutic strategies.