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  2. Increased Oxidative Phosphorylation Is Required for Stemness Maintenance in Liver Cancer Stem Cells from Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Line HCCLM3 Cells

Increased Oxidative Phosphorylation Is Required for Stemness Maintenance in Liver Cancer Stem Cells from Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Line HCCLM3 Cells

  • Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Jul 25;21(15):5276. doi: 10.3390/ijms21155276.
Ge Liu 1 Qing Luo 1 Hong Li 1 Qiuping Liu 1 Yang Ju 2 Guanbin Song 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science & Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China.
  • 2 Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan.
Abstract

Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) are considered to be the main cause of tumor recurrence, metastasis, and an unfavorable prognosis. Energy metabolism is closely associated with cell stemness. However, how the stemness of liver Cancer Stem Cells (LCSCs) is regulated by metabolic/oxidative stress remains poorly understood. In this study, we compare the metabolic differences between LCSCs and the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HCCLM3, and explore the relationship between metabolism and LCSC stemness. We found that LCSCs from the hepatocellular carcinoma cell HCCLM3 exhibited more robust glucose metabolism than HCCLM3, including glycolysis, Oxidative Phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and pyruvate produced by glycolysis entering mitochondria for OXPHOS. Moreover, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) enhanced the LCSC stemness by upregulating OXPHOS. In contrast, Mdivi-1 reduced the levels of OXPHOS and weakened the stemness by inhibiting mitochondrial fission. Together, our findings clarify the relationship between energy metabolism and LCSC stemness and may provide theoretical guidance and potential therapeutic approaches for liver Cancer.

Keywords

cancer stem cells; cell metabolism; glycolysis; hepatocellular carcinoma; oxidative phosphorylation.

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