A study of Targeting SCD1/FADS2 fatty acid desaturase alters lipid metabolic activities and redox-driven ferroptosis in ascites-derived ovarian cancer cells. XUAN Yang et al
Description
Malignant ascites in peritoneal metastases is a lipid-enriched microenvironment and is frequently involved in poor prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). However, the detailed mechanisms underlying ovarian cancer (OvCa) cells dictating their lipid metabolic activities in promoting tumor progression remain elusive. Here, we report that two critical fatty acid desaturases, stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) and acyl-CoA 6-desaturase (FADS2), are aberrantly upregulated, accelerating lipid metabolic activities and tumor aggressiveness of ascites-derived OvCa cells. Lipidomic analysis revealed that the elevation of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) is positively associated with SCD1/FADS2 levels and the oncogenic capacities of OvCa cells. In contrast, pharmaceutical inhibition and genetic ablation of SCD1/FADS2 retarded tumor growth, suppressed cancer stem cell (CSC) formation, and reduced platinum resistance in OvCa cells. Mechanistically, inhibition of SCD1/FADS2 directly downregulated GPX4 and the GSH/GSSG ratio, causing disruption of the cellular redox balance and subsequent iron-mediated lipid peroxidation in ascites-derived OvCa cells. Hence, combinational treatment with SCD1/FADS2 inhibitors and cisplatin synergistically repressed tumor cell dissemination, providing a promising chemotherapeutic strategy against EOC platinum resistance and peritoneal metastases.