Background Most gastric cancers are diagnosed at an advanced or metastatic stage with poor prognosis and survival rate. Fatty acid 2-hydroxylase (FA2H) with high expression in stomach generates chiral ( R )-2-hydroxy FAs (( R )-2-OHFAs) and regulates glucose utilization which is important for cell proliferation and invasiveness. We hypothesized that FA2H impacts gastric tumor growth and could represent a novel target to improve gastric cancer therapy. Methods FA2H level in 117 human gastric tumors and its association with tumor growth, metastasis and overall survival were examined. Its roles and potential mechanisms in regulating tumor growth were studied by genetic and pharmacological manipulation of gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo . Findings FA2H level was lower in gastric tumor tissues as compared to surrounding tissues and associated with clinicopathologic status of patients, which were confirmed by analyses of multiple published datasets. FA2H depletion decreased tumor chemosensitivity, partially due to inhibition of AMPK and activation of the mTOR/S6K1/Gli1 pathway. Conversely, FA2H overexpression or treatment with ( R )-2-OHFAs had the opposite effects. In line with these in vitro observations, FA2H knockdown promoted tumor growth with increased level of tumor Gli1 in vivo . Moreover, ( R )-2-OHFA treatment significantly decreased Gli1 level in gastric tumors and enhanced tumor chemosensitivity to cisplatin, while alleviating the chemotherapy-induced weight loss in mice. Interpretation Our results demonstrate that FA2H plays an important role in regulating Hh signaling and gastric tumor growth and suggest that ( R )-2-OHFAs could be effective as nontoxic wide-spectrum drugs to promote chemosensitivity. Fund Grants of NSF, NIH, and PAPD.

Both the magnitude and duration of insulin signaling are important in executing its cellular functions. Insulin-induced degradation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) represents a key negative feedback loop that restricts insulin signaling. Moreover, high concentrations of fatty acids (FAs) and glucose involved in the etiology of obesity-associated insulin resistance also contribute to the regulation of IRS1 degradation. The scavenger receptor CD36 binds many lipid ligands and its contribution to insulin resistance has been extensively studied, but the exact regulation of insulin sensitivity by CD36 is highly controversial. Herein, we found that CD36 knockdown in C2C12 myotubes accelerated insulin-stimulated Akt activation, but the activated signaling was sustained for a much shorter period of time as compared to wild type cells, leading to exacerbated insulin-induced insulin resistance. This was likely due to enhanced insulin-induced IRS1 degradation after CD36 knockdown. Overexpression of wild type CD36, but not a ubiquitination-defective CD36 mutant delayed Akt activation. We also found that CD36 functioned through ubiquitination-dependent binding to IRS1 and inhibiting its interaction with cullin 7, a key component of the multi-subunit cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. Moreover, dissociation of the Src family kinase Fyn from CD36 by free FAs or Fyn knockdown/inhibition accelerated insulin-induced IRS1 degradation, likely due to disrupted IRS1 interaction with CD36 and thus enhanced binding to cullin 7. In summary, we identified a CD36-dependent FA-sensing pathway that plays an important role in negative feedback regulation of insulin activation and may open up strategies for preventing or managing type 2 diabetes mellitus.Cell signaling is usually initiated by binding an activating ligand to a receptor on the plasma membrane (PM) that transmits the signal inside the cell. Distinct cellular responses and outcomes of a signaling pathway are achieved by precise regulation of its duration, magnitude and subcellular compartmentalization, which is mediated by an integrated network with multiple http://www.jbc.org/cgi

Alteration in lipid composition is an important metabolic adaptation by cancer cells to support tumorigenesis and metastasis. Fatty acid 2-hydroxylase (FA2H) introduces a chiral hydroxyl group at the second carbon of fatty acid (FA) backbones and influences lipid structures and metabolic signaling. However, the underlying mechanisms through which FA 2-hydroxylation is coupled to metabolic adaptation and tumor growth remain elusive. Here, we show that FA2H regulates specific metabolic reprogramming and oncogenic signaling in the development of colorectal cancer. FA2H is highly expressed in normal colorectal tissues. Assessments through deciphering both published high-throughput data and curated human colorectal cancer samples revealed significant suppression of FA2H in tumors, which is correlated with unfavorable prognosis. Experiments with multiple models of genetic manipulation or treatment with an enzymatic product of FA2H, (R)-2-hydroxy palmitic acid, demonstrated that FA 2-hydroxylation inhibits colorectal cancer cell proliferation, migration, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition progression, and tumor growth. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that FA2H functions through AMP-activated protein kinase/Yes-associated protein (AMPK/YAP) pathway, which was confirmed in colorectal cancer cells, as well as in tumors. Lipidomics analysis revealed an accumulation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in cells with FA2H overexpression, which may contribute to the observed nutrient deficiency and AMPK activation. Collectively, these data demonstrate that FA 2-hydroxylation initiates a metabolic signaling cascade to suppress colorectal tumor growth and metastasis via the YAP transcriptional axis and provides a strategy to improve colorectal cancer treatment. Significance: These findings identify a novel metabolic mechanism regulating the tumor suppressor function of FA 2-hydroxylation in colorectal cancer.

<div>Abstract<p>Alteration in lipid composition is an important metabolic adaptation by cancer cells to support tumorigenesis and metastasis. Fatty acid 2-hydroxylase (FA2H) introduces a chiral hydroxyl group at the second carbon of fatty acid (FA) backbones and influences lipid structures and metabolic signaling. However, the underlying mechanisms through which FA 2-hydroxylation is coupled to metabolic adaptation and tumor growth remain elusive. Here, we show that FA2H regulates specific metabolic reprogramming and oncogenic signaling in the development of colorectal cancer. FA2H is highly expressed in normal colorectal tissues. Assessments through deciphering both published high-throughput data and curated human colorectal cancer samples revealed significant suppression of FA2H in tumors, which is correlated with unfavorable prognosis. Experiments with multiple models of genetic manipulation or treatment with an enzymatic product of FA2H, (<i>R</i>)-2-hydroxy palmitic acid, demonstrated that FA 2-hydroxylation inhibits colorectal cancer cell proliferation, migration, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition progression, and tumor growth. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that FA2H functions through AMP-activated protein kinase/Yes-associated protein (AMPK/YAP) pathway, which was confirmed in colorectal cancer cells, as well as in tumors. Lipidomics analysis revealed an accumulation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in cells with FA2H overexpression, which may contribute to the observed nutrient deficiency and AMPK activation. Collectively, these data demonstrate that FA 2-hydroxylation initiates a metabolic signaling cascade to suppress colorectal tumor growth and metastasis via the YAP transcriptional axis and provides a strategy to improve colorectal cancer treatment.</p>Significance:<p>These findings identify a novel metabolic mechanism regulating the tumor suppressor function of FA 2-hydroxylation in colorectal cancer.</p></div>

<p>Supplementary Experimental Materials and Methods. Supplementary Figure S1. Expression of FA2H in human colorectal cancer cells. Supplementary Figure S2. siRNA-mediated FA2H knockdown promotes HCT116 cell proliferation and migration. Supplementary Figure S3. Regulation of Gli1 and phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38, and JNK by FA2H. Supplementary Figure S4. FA2H promotes AMPK phosphorylation in CRC cells. Supplementary Table S1. Association between FA2H and clinic-pathological factors in 141 patients with colorectal cancer. Supplementary Table S2. Antibody information. Supplementary Table S3. Primers used for qRT-PCR analysis.</p>