One-Carbon Metabolism: Biological Players in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Rizzo, Andrea; Napoli, Alessandra; Roggiani, Francesca; Tomassetti, Antonella; Bagnoli, Marina; Mezzanzanica, Delia

doi:10.3390/ijms19072092

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One-Carbon Metabolism: Biological Players in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

by

Andrea Rizzo

,

Alessandra Napoli

,

Francesca Roggiani

,

Antonella Tomassetti

,

Marina Bagnoli

and

Delia Mezzanzanica

^*

Unit of Molecular Therapies, Department of Research, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Via Amadeo 42, 20133 Milan, Italy

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2018, 19(7), 2092; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19072092

Submission received: 12 June 2018 / Revised: 6 July 2018 / Accepted: 17 July 2018 / Published: 19 July 2018

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ovarian Cancer: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment)

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Abstract

Metabolism is deeply involved in cell behavior and homeostasis maintenance, with metabolites acting as molecular intermediates to modulate cellular functions. In particular, one-carbon metabolism is a key biochemical pathway necessary to provide carbon units required for critical processes, including nucleotide biosynthesis, epigenetic methylation, and cell redox-status regulation. It is, therefore, not surprising that alterations in this pathway may acquire fundamental importance in cancer onset and progression. Two of the major actors in one-carbon metabolism, folate and choline, play a key role in the pathobiology of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), the deadliest gynecological malignancy. EOC is characterized by a cholinic phenotype sustained via increased activity of choline kinase alpha, and via membrane overexpression of the alpha isoform of the folate receptor (FRα), both of which are known to contribute to generating regulatory signals that support EOC cell aggressiveness and proliferation. Here, we describe in detail the main biological processes associated with one-carbon metabolism, and the current knowledge about its role in EOC. Moreover, since the cholinic phenotype and FRα overexpression are unique properties of tumor cells, but not of normal cells, they can be considered attractive targets for the development of therapeutic approaches.

Keywords: one-carbon metabolism; epithelial ovarian cancer; choline metabolism; folate; folate receptor alpha

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MDPI and ACS Style

Rizzo, A.; Napoli, A.; Roggiani, F.; Tomassetti, A.; Bagnoli, M.; Mezzanzanica, D. One-Carbon Metabolism: Biological Players in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2018, 19, 2092. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19072092

AMA Style

Rizzo A, Napoli A, Roggiani F, Tomassetti A, Bagnoli M, Mezzanzanica D. One-Carbon Metabolism: Biological Players in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2018; 19(7):2092. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19072092

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rizzo, Andrea, Alessandra Napoli, Francesca Roggiani, Antonella Tomassetti, Marina Bagnoli, and Delia Mezzanzanica. 2018. "One-Carbon Metabolism: Biological Players in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 19, no. 7: 2092. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19072092

APA Style

Rizzo, A., Napoli, A., Roggiani, F., Tomassetti, A., Bagnoli, M., & Mezzanzanica, D. (2018). One-Carbon Metabolism: Biological Players in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 19(7), 2092. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19072092

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One-Carbon Metabolism: Biological Players in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

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