Lipid Metabolism in Oncogenesis
Summary
In cancer cells, lipid metabolism is profoundly reprogrammed to support rapid proliferation, survival under stress and invasion into distant tissues. Beyond their classical roles as energy reservoirs and structural components of membranes, lipids act as signalling molecules that regulate cell growth, apoptosis and interactions with the immune microenvironment. Accumulation of lipid droplets within tumour cells reflects enhanced synthesis and storage of neutral lipids, enabling resistance to chemotherapeutic insult through modulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptotic cascades. Enzymes of phospholipid remodelling, particularly lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferases, catalyse the conversion of lysophospholipids into phosphatidylcholine, a major membrane constituent, thereby influencing membrane fluidity, receptor trafficking and signal transduction. Cholesterol biosynthesis is likewise upregulated in many solid tumours, providing essential components for membrane biogenesis and lipid raft formation, which in turn facilitate oncogenic signalling through pathways such as PI3K/AKT and SREBP-driven transcriptional programmes. Crosstalk between altered lipid metabolism in cancer cells and the surrounding stromal and immune compartments fosters an environment conducive to tumour progression, immune evasion and metastasis. Characterisation of these metabolic alterations has opened avenues for novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic strategies targeting lipid-processing enzymes, lipid droplet dynamics and cholesterol homeostasis on a global scale.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have elucidated how lipid droplet biogenesis underpins chemoresistance in colorectal malignancies by identifying a key role for a lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase isoform in driving droplet accumulation, suppressing caspase activation and reducing cytotoxic T-cell infiltration. In parallel, a multi-gene metabolic risk model for colon cancer has revealed that expression patterns of lipid-processing enzymes, when integrated with glucose metabolism pathways, serve as robust predictors of patient prognosis. Functional analysis within this model highlighted that dysregulated lipid-metabolising genes contribute to tumour aggressiveness and may represent tractable targets for precision medicine approaches.
Lipid Metabolism in Oncogenesis publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in lipid metabolism in oncogenesis across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Lipid metabolic reprogramming: The alteration of normal lipid synthesis, degradation and signalling pathways that enables cancer cells to meet demands for membrane production, energy storage and survival signals.
Lipid droplet: Cytoplasmic organelle composed of a neutral lipid core surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer, serving as a storage site for triglycerides and cholesteryl esters.
Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT): Enzyme that catalyses acylation of lysophosphatidylcholine to form phosphatidylcholine, influencing membrane composition and lipid droplet formation.
PI3K/AKT pathway: Intracellular signalling cascade activated by growth factors and nutrients that regulates cell proliferation, survival and metabolism, often hyperactivated in cancer.
SREBP (Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein): Transcription factor family that senses cellular sterol levels and controls expression of genes involved in cholesterol and fatty acid biosynthesis.
References
- Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 2-mediated lipid droplet production supports colorectal cancer chemoresistance. Nature Communications (2018).
- Construction and validation of a metabolic risk model predicting prognosis of colon cancer. Scientific Reports (2021).
- LPCAT1 promotes brain metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma by up-regulating PI3K/AKT/MYC pathway. Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research (2019).
- LPCAT1 reprogramming cholesterol metabolism promotes the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Cell Death & Disease (2021).
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