High mobility group A1 (HMGA1) promotes the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer by increasing lipid synthesis

Abstract Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer, enabling tumor cells to meet the high energy and biosynthetic demands required for their proliferation. High mobility group A1 (HMGA1) is a structural transcription factor and frequently overexpressed in human colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, w...

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Main Authors: Yuan Zhao, Meng-Jie Liu, Lei Zhang, Qi Yang, Qian-Hui Sun, Jin-Rong Guo, Xin-Yuan Lei, Kai-Yue He, Jun-Qi Li, Jing-Yu Yang, Yong-Ping Jian, Zhi-Xiang Xu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-11-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54400-0
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Summary:Abstract Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer, enabling tumor cells to meet the high energy and biosynthetic demands required for their proliferation. High mobility group A1 (HMGA1) is a structural transcription factor and frequently overexpressed in human colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we show that HMGA1 promotes CRC progression by driving lipid synthesis in a AOM/DSS-induced CRC mouse model. Using conditional knockout (Hmga1 △IEC) and knock-in (Hmga1 IEC-OE/+) mouse models, we demonstrate that HMGA1 enhances CRC cell proliferation and accelerates tumor development by upregulating fatty acid synthase (FASN). Mechanistically, HMGA1 increases the transcriptional activity of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) on the FASN promoter, leading to increased lipid accumulation in intestinal epithelial cells. Moreover, a high-fat diet exacerbates CRC progression in Hmga1 △IEC mice, while pharmacological inhibition of FASN by orlistat reduces tumor growth in Hmga1 IEC-OE/+ mice. Our findings suggest that targeting lipid metabolism could offer a promising therapeutic strategy for CRC.
ISSN:2041-1723