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Zhang B, Zhang Y, Chang K, Hou N, Fan P, Ji C, Liu L, Wang Z, Li R, Wang Y, Zhang J, Ling R. Risk assessment model based on nucleotide metabolism-related genes highlights SLC27A2 as a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2024; 150:258. [PMID: 38753091 PMCID: PMC11098904 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-024-05754-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent malignant tumor worldwide among women, with the highest incidence rate. The mechanisms underlying nucleotide metabolism on biological functions in BC remain incompletely elucidated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We harnessed differentially expressed nucleotide metabolism-related genes from The Cancer Genome Atlas-BRCA, constructing a prognostic risk model through univariate Cox regression and LASSO regression analyses. A validation set and the GSE7390 dataset were used to validate the risk model. Clinical relevance, survival and prognosis, immune infiltration, functional enrichment, and drug sensitivity analyses were conducted. RESULTS Our findings identified four signature genes (DCTPP1, IFNG, SLC27A2, and MYH3) as nucleotide metabolism-related prognostic genes. Subsequently, patients were stratified into high- and low-risk groups, revealing the risk model's independence as a prognostic factor. Nomogram calibration underscored superior prediction accuracy. Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) uncovered activated pathways in low-risk cohorts and mobilized pathways in high-risk cohorts. Distinctions in immune cells were noted between risk cohorts. Subsequent experiments validated that reducing SLC27A2 expression in BC cell lines or using the SLC27A2 inhibitor, Lipofermata, effectively inhibited tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS We pinpointed four nucleotide metabolism-related prognostic genes, demonstrating promising accuracy as a risk prediction tool for patients with BC. SLC27A2 appears to be a potential therapeutic target for BC among these genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhang
- Department of Thyroid, Breast and Vascular Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunjiao Zhang
- Department of Thyroid, Breast and Vascular Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Kexin Chang
- Department of Thyroid, Breast and Vascular Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Niuniu Hou
- Department of Thyroid, Breast and Vascular Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
- Department of General Surgery, Air Force 986(Th) Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Pengyu Fan
- Department of Thyroid, Breast and Vascular Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Cheng Ji
- Department of Thyroid, Breast and Vascular Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Liuyin Liu
- Department of Thyroid, Breast and Vascular Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhe Wang
- Department of Thyroid, Breast and Vascular Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Ruolei Li
- Department of Thyroid, Breast and Vascular Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yaping Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710038, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Zhang
- The State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
| | - Rui Ling
- Department of Thyroid, Breast and Vascular Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
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2
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Revia S, Neumann F, Jabs J, Orio F, Sirrenberg C, Zimmermann A, Amendt C, Albers J. Peposertib, a DNA-PK Inhibitor, Enhances the Anti-Tumor Efficacy of Topoisomerase II Inhibitors in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Models. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5120. [PMID: 38791158 PMCID: PMC11121553 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains the most lethal subtype of breast cancer, characterized by poor response rates to current chemotherapies and a lack of additional effective treatment options. While approximately 30% of patients respond well to anthracycline- and taxane-based standard-of-care chemotherapy regimens, the majority of patients experience limited improvements in clinical outcomes, highlighting the critical need for strategies to enhance the effectiveness of anthracycline/taxane-based chemotherapy in TNBC. In this study, we report on the potential of a DNA-PK inhibitor, peposertib, to improve the effectiveness of topoisomerase II (TOPO II) inhibitors, particularly anthracyclines, in TNBC. Our in vitro studies demonstrate the synergistic antiproliferative activity of peposertib in combination with doxorubicin, epirubicin and etoposide in multiple TNBC cell lines. Downstream analysis revealed the induction of ATM-dependent compensatory signaling and p53 pathway activation under combination treatment. These in vitro findings were substantiated by pronounced anti-tumor effects observed in mice bearing subcutaneously implanted tumors. We established a well-tolerated preclinical treatment regimen combining peposertib with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) and demonstrated strong anti-tumor efficacy in cell-line-derived and patient-derived TNBC xenograft models in vivo. Taken together, our findings provide evidence that co-treatment with peposertib has the potential to enhance the efficacy of anthracycline/TOPO II-based chemotherapies, and it provides a promising strategy to improve treatment outcomes for TNBC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Joachim Albers
- Research Unit Oncology, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany; (S.R.)
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3
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Audet-Delage Y, St-Louis C, Minarrieta L, McGuirk S, Kurreal I, Annis MG, Mer AS, Siegel PM, St-Pierre J. Spatiotemporal modeling of chemoresistance evolution in breast tumors uncovers dependencies on SLC38A7 and SLC46A1. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113191. [PMID: 37792528 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In solid tumors, drug concentrations decrease with distance from blood vessels. However, cellular adaptations accompanying the gradated exposure of cancer cells to drugs are largely unknown. Here, we modeled the spatiotemporal changes promoting chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer. Using pairwise cell competition assays at each step during the acquisition of chemoresistance, we reveal an important priming phase that renders cancer cells previously exposed to sublethal drug concentrations refractory to dose escalation. Therapy-resistant cells throughout the concentration gradient display higher expression of the solute carriers SLC38A7 and SLC46A1 and elevated intracellular concentrations of their associated metabolites. Reduced levels of SLC38A7 and SLC46A1 diminish the proliferative potential of cancer cells, and elevated expression of these SLCs in breast tumors from patients correlates with reduced survival. Our work provides mechanistic evidence to support dose-intensive treatment modalities for patients with solid tumors and reveals two members of the SLC family as potential actionable targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannick Audet-Delage
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Catherine St-Louis
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Lucía Minarrieta
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Shawn McGuirk
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada; Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
| | - Irwin Kurreal
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Matthew G Annis
- Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada; Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Arvind Singh Mer
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Peter M Siegel
- Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada; Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Julie St-Pierre
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada.
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4
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Sunassee ED, Jardim-Perassi BV, Madonna MC, Ordway B, Ramanujam N. Metabolic Imaging as a Tool to Characterize Chemoresistance and Guide Therapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). Mol Cancer Res 2023; 21:995-1009. [PMID: 37343066 PMCID: PMC10592445 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-22-1004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
After an initial response to chemotherapy, tumor relapse is frequent. This event is reflective of both the spatiotemporal heterogeneities of the tumor microenvironment as well as the evolutionary propensity of cancer cell populations to adapt to variable conditions. Because the cause of this adaptation could be genetic or epigenetic, studying phenotypic properties such as tumor metabolism is useful as it reflects molecular, cellular, and tissue-level dynamics. In triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the characteristic metabolic phenotype is a highly fermentative state. However, during treatment, the spatial and temporal dynamics of the metabolic landscape are highly unstable, with surviving populations taking on a variety of metabolic states. Thus, longitudinally imaging tumor metabolism provides a promising approach to inform therapeutic strategies, and to monitor treatment responses to understand and mitigate recurrence. Here we summarize some examples of the metabolic plasticity reported in TNBC following chemotherapy and review the current metabolic imaging techniques available in monitoring chemotherapy responses clinically and preclinically. The ensemble of imaging technologies we describe has distinct attributes that make them uniquely suited for a particular length scale, biological model, and/or features that can be captured. We focus on TNBC to highlight the potential of each of these technological advances in understanding evolution-based therapeutic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enakshi D. Sunassee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | | | - Megan C. Madonna
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Bryce Ordway
- Department of Cancer Physiology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Nirmala Ramanujam
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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5
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Badawi WA, Samir M, Fathy HM, Okda TM, Noureldin MH, Atwa GMK, AboulWafa OM. Design, synthesis and molecular docking study of new pyrimidine-based hydrazones with selective anti-proliferative activity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines. Bioorg Chem 2023; 138:106610. [PMID: 37210828 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Efforts were directed on the design, synthesis and evaluation of the anticancer activity of some pyrimidine-based hydrazones against two breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Preliminary screening results revealed that some candidates scrutinized for their antiproliferative activities exhibited IC50 values of 0.87 μM-12.91 μM in MCF-7 and 1.75 μM-9.46 μM in MDA-MB-231 cells, indicating almost equal activities on both cell lines and better growth inhibition activities than those of the positive control 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) which displayed IC50 values of 17.02 μM and 11.73 μM respectively. Selectivity of the significantly active compounds was estimated against MCF-10A normal breast cells when compounds 7c, 8b, 9a and 10b exhibited superior activity for cancerous cells than for normal cells when compound 10b presented the best selectivity Index (SI) with respect to both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells in comparison to the reference drug 5-FU. Mechanisms of their actions were explored by inspecting activation of caspase-9, annexin V staining and cell cycle analysis. It was noticed that compounds 7c, 8b, 8c 9a-c and 10b produced an increase in caspase-9 levels in MCF-7 treated cells with 10b inducing the highest elevation (27.13 ± 0.54 ng/mL) attaining 8.26-fold when compared to control MCF-7 which was higher than that of staurosporine (19.011 ± 0.40 ng/mL). The same compounds boosted caspase-9 levels in MDA-MB-231 treated cells when an increase in caspase-9 concentration reaching 20.40 ± 0.46 ng/mL (4.11-fold increase) was observed for compound 9a. We also investigated the role of these compounds for their increasing apoptosis ability against the 2 cell lines. Compounds 7c, 8b and 10b tested on MCF-7 cells displayed pre-G1 apoptosis and arrested cell cycle in particular at the S and G1 phases. Further clarification of their effects was made by modulating their related activities as inhibitors of ARO and EGFR enzymes when 8c and 9b showed 52.4% and 58.9% inhibition activity relative to letrozole respectively and 9b and 10b showed 36% and 39% inhibition activity of erlotinib. Also, the inhibition activity was verified by docking into the chosen enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waleed A Badawi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Damanhour, 22511, Egypt.
| | - Mohamed Samir
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut Branch 71524, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Hazem M Fathy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut Branch 71524, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Tarek M Okda
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, Egypt
| | - Mohamed H Noureldin
- Department of Biochemistry, Division of Clinical and Biological Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria P. O. Box 1029, Egypt
| | - Gamal M K Atwa
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Port Said University, Port Said 42515, Egypt
| | - Omaima M AboulWafa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21215, Egypt
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6
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Abou-Fadel J, Bhalli M, Grajeda B, Zhang J. CmP Signaling Network Leads to Identification of Prognostic Biomarkers for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in Caucasian Women. Genet Test Mol Biomarkers 2022; 26:198-219. [PMID: 35481969 DOI: 10.1089/gtmb.2021.0221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) constitutes ∼15% of all diagnosed invasive breast cancer cases with limited options for treatment since immunotherapies that target ER, PR, and HER2 receptors are ineffective. Progesterone (PRG) can induce its effects through either classic, nonclassic, or combined responses by binding to classic nuclear PRG receptors (nPRs) or nonclassic membrane PRG receptors (mPRs). Under PRG-induced actions, we previously demonstrated that the CCM signaling complex (CSC) can couple both nPRs and mPRs into a CmPn signaling network, which plays an important role during nPR(+) breast cancer tumorigenesis. We recently defined the novel CmP signaling network in African American women (AAW)-derived TNBC cells, which overlapped with our previously defined CmPn network in nPR(+) breast cancer cells. Methods: Under mPR-specific steroid actions, we measured alterations to key tumorigenic pathways in Caucasian American women (CAW)- derived TNBC cells, with RNAseq/proteomic and systems biology approaches. Exemption from ethics approval from IRB: This study only utilized cultured NBC cell lines with publicly available TNBC clinical data sets. Results: Our results demonstrated that TNBCs in CAW share similar altered signaling pathways, as TNBCs in AAW, under mPR-specific steroid actions, demonstrating the overall aggressive nature of TNBCs, regardless of racial differences. Furthermore, in this report, we have deconvoluted the CmP signalosome, using systems biology approaches and CAW-TNBC clinical data, to identify 21 new CAW-TNBC-specific prognostic biomarkers that reinforce the definitive role of CSC and mPR signaling during CAW-TNBC tumorigenesis. Conclusion: This new set of potential prognostic biomarkers may revolutionize molecular mechanisms and currently known concepts of tumorigenesis in CAW-TNBCs, leading to hopeful new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnathan Abou-Fadel
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine (MTM), Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Muaz Bhalli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine (MTM), Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Brian Grajeda
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine (MTM), Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
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7
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Targeting nucleotide metabolism: a promising approach to enhance cancer immunotherapy. J Hematol Oncol 2022; 15:45. [PMID: 35477416 PMCID: PMC9044757 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-022-01263-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeting nucleotide metabolism can not only inhibit tumor initiation and progression but also exert serious side effects. With in-depth studies of nucleotide metabolism, our understanding of nucleotide metabolism in tumors has revealed their non-proliferative effects on immune escape, indicating the potential effectiveness of nucleotide antimetabolites for enhancing immunotherapy. A growing body of evidence now supports the concept that targeting nucleotide metabolism can increase the antitumor immune response by (1) activating host immune systems via maintaining the concentrations of several important metabolites, such as adenosine and ATP, (2) promoting immunogenicity caused by increased mutability and genomic instability by disrupting the purine and pyrimidine pool, and (3) releasing nucleoside analogs via microbes to regulate immunity. Therapeutic approaches targeting nucleotide metabolism combined with immunotherapy have achieved exciting success in preclinical animal models. Here, we review how dysregulated nucleotide metabolism can promote tumor growth and interact with the host immune system, and we provide future insights into targeting nucleotide metabolism for immunotherapeutic treatment of various malignancies.
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Multi-Omic Approaches to Breast Cancer Metabolic Phenotyping: Applications in Diagnosis, Prognosis, and the Development of Novel Treatments. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13184544. [PMID: 34572770 PMCID: PMC8470181 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13184544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is characterized by high disease heterogeneity and represents the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women worldwide. Complex and subtype-specific gene expression alterations participate in disease development and progression, with BC cells known to rewire their cellular metabolism to survive, proliferate, and invade. Hence, as an emerging cancer hallmark, metabolic reprogramming holds great promise for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Multi-omics approaches (the combined analysis of various types of omics data) offer opportunities to advance our understanding of the molecular changes underlying metabolic rewiring in complex diseases such as BC. Recent studies focusing on the combined analysis of genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and/or metabolomics in different BC subtypes have provided novel insights into the specificities of metabolic rewiring and the vulnerabilities that may guide therapeutic development and improve patient outcomes. This review summarizes the findings of multi-omics studies focused on the characterization of the specific metabolic phenotypes of BC and discusses how they may improve clinical BC diagnosis, subtyping, and treatment.
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