Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 23, 2025
09:41
Measuring the Rate of Lipolysis in Ex Vivo Murine Adipose Tissue and Primary Preadipocytes Differentiated In Vitro
Published on: March 17, 2023
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BRAF Modulates Lipid Use and Accumulation
Jacqueline A Turner1,2,3, Emily L Paton1, Robert Van Gulick1
1Division of Medical Oncology, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
Cancers
|May 14, 2022
Summary
The BRAF V600E mutation alters cell metabolism, increasing specific lipids and promoting cancer cell features. These metabolic changes in BRAF V600E patients may predict response to targeted therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Metabolomics
Background:
- Oxidative metabolism and fatty acids are implicated in BRAF-driven cancers.
- The precise impact of BRAF mutation on cellular metabolism remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how BRAF mutation and expression influence metabolite levels.
- To understand the metabolic rewiring associated with BRAF V600E expression.
Main Methods:
- Overexpression of BRAF V600E and wild-type (WT) BRAF in NIH3T3 cells.
- Metabolite profiling and transcriptional analysis.
- Analysis of plasma samples from melanoma patients with BRAF V600E mutation.
Main Results:
- BRAF V600E expression led to enrichment of immunomodulatory lipids and a unique transcriptional signature.
- The BRAF V600E mutation promoted accumulation of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and non-Warburg metabolic behavior.
- BRAF V600E induced tunneling nanotube-like protrusions enriched with lipid droplets.
- Elevated levels of lysophosphatidic acid, sphingomyelin, and long chain fatty acids were observed in non-responding melanoma patients.
Conclusions:
- BRAF V600 status significantly regulates immunomodulatory lipid profiles and lipid trafficking.
- These findings suggest potential therapeutic strategies targeting lipid metabolism in BRAF-mutated cancers.
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