Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41510096›Full record

ArticleTranslational cancer research2025

Tumor-associated neutrophils drive liver-specific metastatic progression in breast cancer through methionine metabolism mediated by methionine adenosyltransferase II alpha.

Lifeng Huang, Shuang Zhen, Qi Wang, Yue Sun, Tian Ji, Rui Chen, Jue Wang, Qiannan Zhu, Dongwei Xu, Xiaoming Zha

Abstract read
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Article in Translational cancer research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Lifeng Huang *Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Shuang Zhen *Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Qi Wang *Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Yue SunDepartment of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Tian JiDepartment of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Rui ChenDepartment of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Jue WangDepartment of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Qiannan ZhuDepartment of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Dongwei XuDepartment of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Xiaoming ZhaDepartment of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The mechanisms underlying the pronounced organotropism of breast cancer (BC) for the liver remain incompletely elucidated. This study aims to investigate the role of the tumor microenvironment (TME), particularly tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs), and their metabolic regulation in breast cancer liver metastasis (BCLM). Methods: We employed a multi-level integrative approach. Bioinformatic analysis of Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets characterized the immune landscape of BCLM. Clinical specimens, and Results: A neutrophil-enriched TME was identified as a distinct feature of BCLM. Functional studies demonstrated that TANs enhance cancer stemness and chemoresistance by upregulating methionine adenosyltransferase II alpha (MAT2A), a key enzyme that activates methionine metabolism. What is more, pharmacological inhibition of MAT2A successfully reversed the pro-tumorigenic phenotypes induced by TANs. Metabolomic analysis of patient specimens provided direct clinical evidence for the specific activation of the methionine cycle in BCLM tissues. Conclusions: Our work uncovers a neutrophil-driven, MAT2A-dependent activation of methionine metabolism as a critical metabolic mechanism fueling liver metastasis in BC. These findings position the TAN-MAT2A-methionine axis as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of BCLM.

Indexed as

Breast cancer (BC)cancer stemnessliver metastasismethionine metabolismtumor-associated neutrophils (TANs)

Identifiers

PMID41510096
PMCPMC12776239

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