Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 18, 2025

Tumor Allotransplantation in Drosophila melanogaster with a Programmable Auto-Nanoliter Injector
05:06

Tumor Allotransplantation in Drosophila melanogaster with a Programmable Auto-Nanoliter Injector

Published on: February 2, 2021

2.5K

An Oatp transporter-mediated steroid sink promotes tumor-induced cachexia in Drosophila

Paula Santabárbara-Ruiz1, Pierre Léopold1

  • 1Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 3215, INSERM U934, UPMC Paris-Sorbonne, 26 Rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France.

Developmental Cell
|October 5, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Cancer cachexia involves weight loss and inflammation. In fruit flies, tumors create a "steroid sink," lowering ecdysone (Ec) levels and worsening cachexia, suggesting a similar mechanism in human cancer patients.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Cancer cachexia is a complex syndrome linked to various tumors, characterized by anorexia, weight loss, metabolic changes, and inflammation.
  • Reduced levels of circulating steroids, such as ecdysone (Ec), have been observed in cachectic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of steroid transport in cancer cachexia using a Drosophila tumor model.
  • To identify molecular mechanisms underlying cachexia-induced hormonal imbalances.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a Drosophila larval tumor model to mimic cachexia-like syndrome.
  • Analysis of ecdysone (Ec) levels in tumor-bearing larvae.
  • Manipulation of steroid importer (EcI/Oatp74D) and transporter (Oatp33Eb) expression in tumors.
  • Assessment of cachectic phenotypes following genetic manipulation.

Main Results:

  • Cachectic Drosophila larvae exhibited significantly reduced circulating ecdysone (Ec) levels.
  • Tumor-specific overexpression of Oatp33Eb induced cachexia, while its inhibition reversed cachectic alterations.
  • Artificially increasing Ec import into tumors aggravated cachexia, indicating a tumor-induced steroid sink effect.

Conclusions:

  • Tumor-induced steroid sink, mediated by transporters like Oatp33Eb, contributes to cancer cachexia by depleting circulating hormones.
  • This mechanism may explain hormonal imbalances observed in cachectic cancer patients, offering potential therapeutic targets.
Keywords:
DrosophilaOatp33EbSLCO transporterscachexiacancerecdysonesteroid hormonestissue wastingtumor

More Related Videos

The Colon-26 Carcinoma Tumor-bearing Mouse as a Model for the Study of Cancer Cachexia08:55

The Colon-26 Carcinoma Tumor-bearing Mouse as a Model for the Study of Cancer Cachexia

Published on: November 30, 2016

16.6K
A Protocol for Genetic Induction and Visualization of Benign and Invasive Tumors in Cephalic Complexes of Drosophila melanogaster07:23

A Protocol for Genetic Induction and Visualization of Benign and Invasive Tumors in Cephalic Complexes of Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: September 11, 2013

9.7K

Related Concept Videos

Carrier-Mediated Transport01:06

Carrier-Mediated Transport

Carrier-mediated transport is a pivotal process in drug absorption, particularly for lipid-insoluble drugs, and encompasses facilitated diffusion and active transport. Facilitated diffusion allows drugs to move along their concentration gradient without energy expenditure, while active transport utilizes ATP to drive drug movement against this gradient.
Active transport involves two types of membrane-spanning transporters: uptake and efflux. Uptake transporters are expressed in the small...
620
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.9K
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells02:53

Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells

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,...
6.0K
ABC Transporters: Exporter01:31

ABC Transporters: Exporter

ATP-binding cassette or ABC transporter is the largest superfamily of integral membrane proteins. The transporters have transmembrane-binding domains (TMDs) and nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs). The TMDs are specific to their substrates, whereas the NBDs are similar to engines that complete ATP hydrolysis to complete the substrate transport. They can be full transporters consisting of two TMDs and NBDs, half transporters with one TMD and NBD, while some encoded with a single TMD or NBD are...
5.3K