Elucidating tumor-stromal metabolic crosstalk in colorectal cancer through integration of constraint-based models and LC-MS metabolomics |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA;2. Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA;3. Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, 90064, USA;4. Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 46202, USA;5. Division of Medical Oncology, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA;6. Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA |
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Abstract: | Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Tumor-stromal metabolic crosstalk in the tumor microenvironment promotes CRC development and progression, but exactly how stromal cells, in particular cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), affect the metabolism of tumor cells remains unknown. Here we take a data-driven approach to investigate the metabolic interactions between CRC cells and CAFs, integrating constraint-based modeling and metabolomic profiling. Using metabolomics data, we perform unsteady-state parsimonious flux balance analysis to infer flux distributions for central carbon metabolism in CRC cells treated with or without CAF-conditioned media. We find that CAFs reprogram CRC metabolism through stimulation of glycolysis, the oxidative arm of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and glutaminolysis, as well as inhibition of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. To identify potential therapeutic targets, we simulate enzyme knockouts and find that CAF-treated CRC cells are especially sensitive to inhibitions of hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphate, the rate limiting steps of glycolysis and oxidative PPP. Our work gives mechanistic insights into the metabolic interactions between CRC cells and CAFs and provides a framework for testing hypotheses towards CRC-targeted therapies. |
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Keywords: | Tumor microenvironment Metabolomics Mathematical biosciences Systems biology Flux balance analysis |
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