Fatty acid synthase and the lipogenic phenotype in cancer pathogenesis

JA Menendez, R Lupu - Nature Reviews Cancer, 2007 - nature.com
JA Menendez, R Lupu
Nature Reviews Cancer, 2007nature.com
There is a renewed interest in the ultimate role of fatty acid synthase (FASN)—a key
lipogenic enzyme catalysing the terminal steps in the de novo biogenesis of fatty acids—in
cancer pathogenesis. Tumour-associated FASN, by conferring growth and survival
advantages rather than functioning as an anabolic energy-storage pathway, appears to
necessarily accompany the natural history of most human cancers. A recent identification of
cross-talk between FASN and well-established cancer-controlling networks begins to …
Abstract
There is a renewed interest in the ultimate role of fatty acid synthase (FASN) — a key lipogenic enzyme catalysing the terminal steps in the de novo biogenesis of fatty acids — in cancer pathogenesis. Tumour-associated FASN, by conferring growth and survival advantages rather than functioning as an anabolic energy-storage pathway, appears to necessarily accompany the natural history of most human cancers. A recent identification of cross-talk between FASN and well-established cancer-controlling networks begins to delineate the oncogenic nature of FASN-driven lipogenesis. FASN, a nearly-universal druggable target in many human carcinomas and their precursor lesions, offers new therapeutic opportunities for metabolically treating and preventing cancer.
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