It is well known that mitochondria, the cell’s engine room, play an important role in cancer growth. Therapies target these minute organelles in a variety of ways. For example, cutting off food sources to inhibit energy production, knocking them out with a mixture of drugs, and using their output as an early sign of cancer.
Mitochondria are back under the microscope, and scientists have captured a network of two types of lung cancer tumors, showing their distinct structural organization and relationship to energetic activity throughout the region. These detailed and complete maps hold great promise in finding better strategies to target lung cancer.
Researchers at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) used positron emission tomography and electron microscopy to create a 3D super-resolution map of the mitochondrial network. They used an artificial intelligence technique called deep learning to measure the structure of hundreds of cells and thousands of mitochondria within tumors.
“Our study represents the first step toward generating highly detailed three-dimensional maps of lung tumors using genetically engineered mouse models,” said UCLA Associate Professor, Study co-author David Shackelford said. “Using these maps, we have begun to develop a structural and functional atlas of lung tumors, which will show how tumor cells structurally change their cellular structure in response to the high metabolic demands of tumor growth. Our findings have the potential to inform and improve current therapeutic strategies while revealing new directions in targeting lung cancer. increase.”
Mitochondria are tiny organelles within cells that process food and release it as energy, essentially the power source of cellular respiration. Given that cancer cells rely heavily on the energy they receive through mitochondrial respiration, a better understanding of global cellular activity within tumors is essential.
Examining two major subtypes of cancer, adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), researchers discovered distinct subpopulations of the mitochondrial network. They also found that mitochondria frequently align with organelles such as lipid droplets (fat) to create intracellular structures that support tumor cell metabolism.
“Our study reveals new findings in the metabolic flux of lung tumors, their nutritional preferences dependent on either glucose (sugars) or free fatty acids (fat), mitochondrial interaction with other organelles. It reveals that it may be determined by compartmentalization,” said UCLA researcher and co-author Mingqi Han.
What this means for therapy is that by identifying the structure of the mitochondrial network, researchers will be able to develop targeted therapies that challenge the structure and the favorable nutrients that cells need at the moment. It means that you can stand in a better position.
“This finding has important implications for the development of effective anticancer therapies that target tumor-specific nutritional preferences,” said Dr. Han. It may also be applicable to other types of cancer, paving the way for further research in this area. ”
The researchers believe their mouse studies lay the groundwork for developing a similar window into the complex world of mitochondrial structure within human lung tumors.
See the team’s 3D super-resolution map of the LUAD cancer subtype mitochondrial network in the video below.
Mitochondrial network in lung cancer
The study was published in a journal Nature.
Source: UCLA Health
