Functional screening identifies MCT4 as a key regulator of breast cancer cell metabolism and survival
Authors list
Franziska Baenke Sébastien Dubuis Charlene Brault Britta Weigelt Beatrice Dankworth Beatrice Griffiths Ming Jiang Alan Mackay Becky Saunders Bradley Spencer-Dene Susana Ros Gordon Stamp Jorge S Reis-Filho Michael Howell Nicola Zamboni Almut SchulzeAbstract
Metabolic reprogramming in cancer enhances macromolecule biosynthesis and supports cell survival. Oncogenic drivers affect metabolism by altering distinct metabolic processes and render cancer cells sensitive to perturbations of the metabolic network. This study aimed to identify selective metabolic dependencies in breast cancer by investigating 17 breast cancer cells lines representative of the genetic diversity of the disease. Using a functional screen, we demonstrate here that monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4) is an important regulator of breast cancer cell survival. MCT4 supports pH maintenance, lactate secretion and non-oxidative glucose metabolism in breast cancer cells. Moreover, MCT4 depletion caused an increased dependence of cancer cells on mitochondrial respiration and glutamine metabolism. MCT4 depletion reduced the ability of breast cancer cells to grow in a three-dimensional (3D) matrix or as multilayered spheroids. Moreover, MCT4 expression is regulated by the PI3K-Akt signalling pathway and highly expressed in HER2-positive breast cancers. These results suggest that MCT4 is a potential therapeutic target in defined breast cancer subtypes and reveal novel avenues for combination treatment.
Journal details
Journal Journal of Pathology
Volume 237
Issue number 2
Pages 152-165
Available online
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Publisher website (DOI) 10.1002/path.4562
Europe PubMed Central 25965974
Pubmed 25965974
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