1. Metabolism and epigenetics of pancreatic cancer stem cells.
- Author
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Perusina Lanfranca M, Thompson JK, Bednar F, Halbrook C, Lyssiotis C, Levi B, and Frankel TL
- Subjects
- Animals, Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal genetics, Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal metabolism, Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal pathology, Cell Plasticity, Disease Susceptibility, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, Humans, Neoplastic Stem Cells pathology, Pancreatic Neoplasms pathology, Energy Metabolism, Epigenesis, Genetic, Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic, Neoplastic Stem Cells metabolism, Pancreatic Neoplasms genetics, Pancreatic Neoplasms metabolism
- Abstract
Pancreatic Cancer (PDA) is an aggressive malignancy characterized by early spread and a high mortality. Current studies suggest that a subpopulation of cells exist within tumors, cancer stem cell (CSC), which are capable of self-renewal and give rise to unique progeny which form the major neoplastic cellular component of tumors. While CSCs constitute a small cellular subpopulation within the tumor, their resistance to chemotherapy and radiation make them an important therapeutic target for eradication. Along with distinctive phenotypic properties, CSCs possess a unique metabolic plasticity allowing them to rapidly respond and adapt to environmental changes. These cells and their progeny also display a significantly altered epigenetic state with distinctive patterns of DNA methylation. Several mechanisms of cross-talk between epigenetic and metabolic pathways in PDA exist which ultimately contribute to the observed cellular plasticity and enhanced tumorigenesis. In this review we discuss various examples of this metabolic-epigenetic interplay and how it may constitute a new avenue for therapy specifically targeting CSCs in PDA., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2019
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