Identification of critical metabolic pathways and metabolites that regulate therapeutic resistance and stemness

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19H01033
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 50:Oncology and related fields
• Research Institution: Kanazawa University
• Principal Investigator: Hirao Atsushi 金沢大学, がん進展制御研究所, 教授 (90343350)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 代謝

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we aimed to identify metabolic pathways and metabolites that contribute to tumorigenesis and regulate therapeutic resistance and stemness. We found that metabolic regulation by lysosomes plays an important role in malignant properties in leukemia and brain tumors. We found that lysosome activity was closely linked to chromatin regulation, suggesting that it contributes to fate determination. The findings also contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting lysosomes. Further investigation based on this study will provide an effective opening for elucidating the true nature of cancer.

Free Research Field

腫瘍学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

昨今、がんの代謝制御の重要性が認知され、国内外で精力的に研究が進められている。特に、代謝酵素は治療標的としての創薬に直結する可能性が高いため、産業的な発展を念頭に精力的に研究が推進されている。今回の研究では、このような代謝制御ががん細胞の運命決定に寄与していることを明らかにできた。今後、代謝経路の同定、新規のメタボライトの同定とその制御機構、代謝物によるがんの不均一生という観点での研究を展開することで、新規がん診断・治療薬の開発につながると考えられた。