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The Autophagic Tumor Stroma Model of Cancer: Role of Oxidative Stress and Ketone Production in Fueling Tumor Cell Metabolism

Stephanos Pavlides

A loss of stromal caveolin-1 (Cav-1) in the tumor fibroblast compartment is associated with early tumor recurrence, lymphnode metastasis and tamoxifen-resistance, resulting in poor clinical outcome in breast cancer patients. Here, we have used Cav-1 (-/-) null mice as a pre-clinical model for this ?lethal tumor micro-environment?. Metabolic profiling of Cav-1 (-/-) mammary fat pads revealed the upregulation of numerous metabolites (nearly 100), indicative of a major catabolic phenotype. Our results are consistent with the induction of oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and autophagy/ mitophagy. The two most prominent metabolites that emerged from this analysis were ADMA (asymmetric dimethyl arginine) and BHB (beta-hydroxybutyrate; a ketone body), which are markers of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, respectively. Transcriptional profiling of Cav-1 (-/-) stromal cells and human tumor stroma from breast cancer patients directly supported an association with oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and autophagy/mitophagy, as well as ADMA and ketone production. MircoRNA profiling of Cav-1 (-/-) stromal cells revealed the upregulation of two key cancer-related miR?s, namely miR-31 and miR-34c.