A recent study has uncovered a key factor behind the frequent spread of cancer to the lungs: an amino acid called aspartate. These findings enhance our knowledge of cancer and present new possibilities for treating metastatic disease.
More than half of patients with metastatic cancer will develop secondary tumors in the lungs. Cancer cells are known to travel to the lungs through arteries and lymphatic vessels, but the reason behind the lungs’ appeal to these cells remains unclear.
Researchers from the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB)-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology (CCB) in Belgium have identified a potential reason for the prevalence of lung metastases: the amino acid aspartate.
“High levels of aspartate were found in the lungs of mice and breast cancer patients compared to those without cancer, indicating its importance in lung metastasis,” said Ginevra Doglioni, the study’s lead author and a PhD student at the CCB.
Aspartate is essential for various functions in the body, including lung health. It serves as a building block for proteins, essential for lung cell structure and function, as well as for energy production, pH balance, and immune support in the respiratory system.
The study also delves into the role of translation in cancer growth, highlighting the importance of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A) in protein synthesis. Lung aspartate was found to trigger a signaling pathway in cancer cells leading to an altered translational program.
The research suggests that lung aspartate activates the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor on cancer cells’ surfaces, promoting eIF5A hypusination and a translation program that enhances metastatic aggressiveness.
Professor Sarah-Maria Fendt, a principal investigator at the CCB, emphasized the clinical relevance of these findings, suggesting that aspartate signaling may be a common feature of lung-growing cancer cells.
This study has advanced our understanding of cancer biology and paves the way for potential new treatments for metastatic disease. The results were published in the journal Nature.
Source: VIB-KU Leuven CCB via EurekAlert!
