Abstract
The expression of desaturases is higher in many types of cancer, and despite their recognized role in oncogenesis, there has been no research on the expression of desaturases in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Tumor tissue samples were collected during surgery from 28 patients (16 men and 12 women) diagnosed with GBM. The effect of necrotic conditions and nutritional deficiency (mimicking conditions in the studied tumor zones) was studied in an in vitro culture of human brain (glioblastoma astrocytoma) U-87 MG cells. Analysis of desaturase expression was made by qRT-PCR and the immunohistochemistry method. In the tumor, the expression of stearoyl–coenzyme A desaturase (SCD) and fatty acid desaturases 2 (FADS2) was lower than in the peritumoral area. The expression of other desaturases did not differ in between the distinguished zones. We found no differences in the expression of SCD, fatty acid desaturases 1 (FADS1), or FADS2 between the sexes. Necrotic conditions and nutritional deficiency increased the expression of the studied desaturase in human brain (glioblastoma astrocytoma) U-87 MG cells. The obtained results suggest that (i) biosynthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in a GBM tumor is less intense than in the peritumoral area; (ii) expressions of SCD, SCD5, FADS1, and FADS2 correlate with each other in the necrotic core, growing tumor area, and peritumoral area; (iii) expressions of desaturases in a GBM tumor do not differ between the sexes; and (iv) nutritional deficiency increases the biosynthesis of MUFA and PUFA in GBM cells.
Highlights
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most common primary brain tumors
The expression of stearoyl–coenzyme A desaturase (SCD) in GBM was significantly lower in the growing tumor area compared to the peritumoral area and in the necrotic core compared to the peritumoral area (Figure 2)
Using the beta-2 macroglobulin (B2M) gene as reference, the expression of SCD in the peritumoral area was more than 5 times higher (p = 0.005) than in the growing tumor area
Summary
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most common primary brain tumors. It is the most invasive and undifferentiated glioma and the most malignant tumor based on the histopathological criteria defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is characterized by high mortality despite surgical intervention, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. The overall survival rate and 5-year postoperative survival are very low, at 8.1 months and 9.8%, respectively [1,2]. A promising direction of research into possible therapies for GBM is the metabolism of fatty acids in cancer cells [3,4]. Interesting is the action of desaturases, enzymes forming double bonds in fatty acids, which can be divided into those with the highest catalytic activity for saturated fatty acids (stearoyl–CoA desaturase (SCD) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 5 (SCD5)) or for unsaturated fatty acids (fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1), fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2), and fatty acid desaturase 3 (FADS3))
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