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Creatine promotes metastatic dissemination.

Damien Lagarde¹, Lawrence Kazak¹

¹Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada.

Cell Metabolism

|June 2, 2021

Summary

Creatine fuels cancer metastasis by activating the MPS1-Smad2/3 pathway. This discovery in mice sheds light on molecular mechanisms driving cancer spread.

Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Cancer Research
Metabolism

Background:

The molecular mechanisms underlying cancer metastasis remain incompletely understood.
Identifying key regulators of cancer cell migration and invasion is crucial for developing targeted therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of creatine in promoting cancer metastasis.
To elucidate the molecular pathways involved in creatine-driven cancer progression.

Main Methods:

Utilized mouse models to study cancer metastasis.
Investigated the activation of the MPS1-Smad2/3 signaling axis.

Main Results:

Creatine was found to promote cancer metastasis in vivo.

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Activation of the MPS1-Smad2/3 axis was identified as a key mechanism by which creatine enhances metastasis.

Conclusions:

Creatine acts as a promoter of cancer metastasis.
Targeting the MPS1-Smad2/3 axis may offer a therapeutic strategy to inhibit creatine-induced cancer spread.