Cancer Res. 2026 Feb 9. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-25-2854. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) exhibit poor clinical outcomes. Metabolic reprogramming of both cancer cells and immune compartments plays a crucial role in shaping the anti-tumor immune response in PDAC. DM-induced metabolic alteration may disrupt the intricate crosstalk between immune cells and tumor-associated immune factors, profoundly influencing PDAC progression. Here, we performed an integrated, spatially resolved multi-omics study to investigate DM-associated, cell-specific metabolic remodeling within the PDAC tumor microenvironment. DM influenced interactions between tumor cells and immune cells, which accelerated PDAC growth in both humans and mice. PDAC patients with DM exhibited higher tumor-stage, poorer differentiation, and worse outcomes. Spatial metabolic and transcriptional profiling revealed that SREBP2-dependent cholesterol biosynthesis exacerbated PDAC progression. Increased cholesterol biosynthesis promoted neutrophil recruitment and accelerated formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) by stimulating the CXCL1-CXCR1/CXCR2 signaling axis, ultimately promoting PDAC growth. Inhibition of SREBP2, pharmacological blockade of CXCL1, or perturbation of NETs markedly reduced PDAC growth in diabetic mouse models. Together, these multi-omics analyses and follow-up mechanistic studies constitute an integrated approach that elucidates a metabolic mechanism by which diabetes promotes PDAC development by remodeling the tumor immune microenvironment and highlights a potential therapeutic strategy for PDAC with DM.

PMID:41661642 | DOI:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-25-2854

Int J Surg. 2025 Jul 15. doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000003049. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are intracellular lipid chaperones with molecular weights of approximately 14-15 kDa. By binding and transporting fatty acids and lipid-related molecules, FABPs precisely regulate metabolic pathways, signal transduction, and gene expression, playing a central role in cancer initiation and progression. The 11 identified subtypes (FABP1-FABP12; FABP11 is identical to FABP3) exhibit tissue-specific expression and influence tumor progression through metabolic reprogramming, immune microenvironment modulation, and therapy resistance. Metabolically, FABPs enhance fatty acid uptake, β-oxidation, and synthesis, meeting the high proliferative demands of tumors. In immune regulation, FABP4+ macrophages secrete IL-6 to suppress T cell activity, while FABP6 downregulates MHC-I molecule expression to reduce CD8+ T cell infiltration, fostering an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Regarding therapy resistance, FABP4 enhances mitochondrial β-oxidation to reduce apoptosis in ovarian cancer, and FABP5 promotes chemoresistance in HCC via the HIF-1α pathway. Functional heterogeneity exists among subtypes: FABP7 drives glioblastoma stem cell migration via RXRα signaling, while FABP5 exhibits context-dependent roles, promoting HCC progression but suppressing colorectal cancer (CRC) through mTOR-mediated autophagy. Clinically, FABPs serve as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. However, challenges such as insufficient target specificity, cross-cancer heterogeneity, and normal tissue toxicity remain. Future studies should integrate multi-omics and single-cell technologies to elucidate cell-specific mechanisms and develop precise combination therapies for clinical translation.

PMID:40717587 | DOI:10.1097/JS9.0000000000003049

NPJ Precis Oncol. 2025 Feb 24;9(1):50. doi: 10.1038/s41698-025-00834-8.

ABSTRACT

Disulfidptosis, a newly discovered cell death mode distinct from other programmed cell death in lung and kidney cancer cells, is defined as extensive disulfide bonds to actin cytoskeleton proteins, leading to actin contraction and cytoskeletal disruption cell death. New cell death pattern discoveries often drive advances in tumor research. Therefore, the present study attempted to decipher the manifestation and importance of disulfidptosis in pan-cancer. Combining Clinical specimen immunofluorescence staining, single-cell analyses, and spatial transcriptome analyses, we demonstrated the manifestation of disulfidptosis in pan-cancer. Multi-omics analysis has revealed that genomic variants and DNA methylation in DRGs can affect the prognosis of patients with pan-cancer. The nomogram based on the DRGs Score model could accurately predict the prognosis of patients with pan-cancer. PF-562271, EHT-1864, and IPA-3 are potential therapeutic agents targeting disulfidptosis. Collectively, this study deciphered for the first time the importance of disulfidptosis for pan-cancer and developed the DRGs Score model that can assist clinicians in accurately predicting the prognosis and guiding individualized treatment of pan-cancer patients.

PMID:39994355 | DOI:10.1038/s41698-025-00834-8

Cell Metab. 2025 Jan 28:S1550-4131(24)00495-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.12.013. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy has revolutionized cancer treatment but remains effective in only a subset of patients. Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiome and its metabolites critically influence ICB efficacy. In this study, we performed a multi-omics analysis of fecal microbiomes and metabolomes from 165 patients undergoing anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapy, identifying microbial and metabolic entities associated with treatment response. Integration of data from four public metagenomic datasets (n = 568) uncovered cross-cohort microbial and metabolic signatures, validated in an independent cohort (n = 138). An integrated predictive model incorporating these features demonstrated robust performance. Notably, we characterized five response-associated enterotypes, each linked to specific bacterial taxa and metabolites. Among these, the metabolite phenylacetylglutamine (PAGln) was negatively correlated with response and shown to attenuate anti-PD-1 efficacy in vivo. This study sheds light on the interplay among the gut microbiome, the gut metabolome, and immunotherapy response, identifying potential biomarkers to improve treatment outcomes.

PMID:39909032 | DOI:10.1016/j.cmet.2024.12.013