Targeting the Lipid Metabolism Proteins FASN and GPAM in Alveolar Type II Cells Decreases Lung Metastasis

Cancer cells that seed in the lung require lipids often produced by alveolar type II (AT2) cells. However, whether overt metastases depend on AT2 cell-derived lipids and whether AT2 cells can be targeted to reduce metastasis growth remains unknown. We discovered that breast cancer-derived lung metastases stimulate the proliferation of AT2 cells in their vicinity and reprogram them into lipid feeder cells in mice and patients using spatial analysis. Mechanistically, the metastasis secretome activates the transcription factor sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1 (SREBP-1) in AT2 cells, enhancing the expression of key de novo lipid synthesis genes, including fatty acid synthase (FASN) and glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase 1 (GPAM). Deleting Fasn selectively in AT2 cells or targeting FASN and GPAM systemically significantly impairs lung metastasis growth in mice. In summary, we discovered that overt metastases reprogram AT2 cells and that targeting the lipid metabolism of AT2 cells impairs metastasis growth.

Current therapies in oncology targeting the cancer or immune cell compartment of tumors show limited efficacy against breast cancer-derived metastases. We discovered that decreasing the lipid metabolism of lung resident AT2 cells is sufficient to impair lung metastasis growth in mice without apparent adverse effects.