JAK/STAT3-Regulated Fatty Acid β-Oxidation Is Critical for Breast Cancer Stem Cell Self-Renewal and Chemoresistance

Publication date: Available online 14 December 2017
Source:Cell Metabolism
Author(s): Tianyi Wang, Johannes Francois Fahrmann, Heehyoung Lee, Yi-Jia Li, Satyendra C. Tripathi, Chanyu Yue, Chunyan Zhang, Veronica Lifshitz, Jieun Song, Yuan Yuan, George Somlo, Rahul Jandial, David Ann, Samir Hanash, Richard Jove, Hua Yu
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are critical for cancer progression and chemoresistance. How lipid metabolism regulates CSCs and chemoresistance remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that JAK/STAT3 regulates lipid metabolism, which promotes breast CSCs (BCSCs) and cancer chemoresistance. Inhibiting JAK/STAT3 blocks BCSC self-renewal and expression of diverse lipid metabolic genes, including carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1B (CPT1B), which encodes the critical enzyme for fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO). Moreover, mammary-adipocyte-derived leptin upregulates STAT3-induced CPT1B expression and FAO activity in BCSCs. Human breast-cancer-derived data suggest that the STAT3-CPT1B-FAO pathway promotes cancer cell stemness and chemoresistance. Blocking FAO and/or leptin re-sensitizes them to chemotherapy and inhibits BCSCs in mouse breast tumors in vivo. We identify a critical pathway for BCSC maintenance and breast cancer chemoresistance.

Graphical abstract

Teaser

Cancer stem cells play an important role in cancer development and chemoresistance. Wang et al. show that leptin-JAK/STAT3 regulates lipid metabolism through fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO), promoting breast cancer stemness and chemoresistance. Blocking FAO and/or depleting leptin re-sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy while reducing cancer stemness in vivo.


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