Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2025
05:42
Author Spotlight: Advanced Ex Vivo Model for Investigating Cancer-Adipose Microenvironment Interaction
Published on: January 26, 2024
2.5K
Energy Landscape Reveals the Underlying Mechanism of Cancer-Adipose Conversion in Gene Network Models
Zihao Chen1,2, Jia Lu3, Xing-Ming Zhao2
1Shanghai Center for Mathematical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|September 11, 2024
Summary
Researchers revealed how cancer cells can transform into fat cells using mathematical modeling and experiments. This study identified key intermediate cell states and new drug combinations to promote cancer adipogenesis, offering novel therapeutic strategies.
Area of Science:
- Systems biology
- Cancer research
- Molecular network analysis
Background:
- Cancer is a complex, heterogeneous disease driven by molecular networks.
- Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is crucial for cancer metastasis and plasticity.
- Existing research suggests drug-induced transformation of cancer cells into adipocytes, but mechanisms are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer-adipose conversion (CAC).
- To identify novel therapeutic strategies for inducing CAC using a systems biology approach.
Main Methods:
- Integrated mathematical modeling with molecular experiments to analyze regulatory networks.
- Identified cell state attractors (epithelial, mesenchymal, adipose, intermediate EMT) on the CAC landscape.
- Employed a landscape control approach to discover new therapeutic strategies.
Main Results:
- Four distinct cell state attractors were identified, including crucial intermediate EMT states.
- Intermediate states were found to be critical for the cancer to adipose transition.
- Two novel drug combinations promoting CAC were predicted and experimentally validated in cell lines.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals the underlying mechanisms of intermediate cell states governing CAC.
- Identified potential new drug combinations for inducing cancer adipogenesis.
- Demonstrates the power of combined computational and experimental approaches for exploring cell fate transitions.
Related Concept Videos
02:53Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
5.7K
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,...
5.7K
02:17The Tumor Microenvironment
6.6K
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...
6.6K
01:37Epigenetic Regulation
3.0K
Epigenetic changes alter the physical structure of the DNA without changing the genetic sequence and often regulate whether genes are turned on or off. This regulation ensures that each cell produces only proteins necessary for its function. For example, proteins that promote bone growth are not produced in muscle cells. Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
X-chromosome...
X-chromosome...
3.0K
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
3.8K
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...
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.8K
01:19Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
6.2K
Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
6.2K
02:30Metastasis
5.5K
Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the original site to distant locations in the body. Cancer cells can spread via blood vessels (hematogenous) as well as lymph vessels in the body.
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
5.5K