Munim, M. B. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2025

Comparative analysis of plasma and bone marrow nutrient levels in pediatric B-ALL patients

Nutrient availability in the tumor microenvironment is a key determinant of cancer progression and therapeutic response, yet the physiological nutrient environment for most cancers is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated nutrient levels in pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patients across different subtypes undergoing chemotherapy, focusing on both bone marrow and circulation. Our analysis revealed distinct differences in nutrient profiles between leukemic and healthy plasma and among B-ALL subtypes, with hyperdiploid B-ALL exhibiting pronounced alterations in arginine and asymmetric dimethylarginine metabolism. Bone marrow and blood plasma exhibited largely similar metabolite profiles, even after chemotherapy, indicating these environments are metabolically comparable. Comparisons with renal cell carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer highlighted a unique enrichment of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates in the circulation of B-ALL patients. These findings provide a comprehensive view of nutrient dynamics in pediatric B-ALL and identify metabolic alterations that could guide biomarker discovery and new therapeutic strategies.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Site of breast cancer metastasis is independent of single nutrient levels

Cancer metastasis is a major contributor to patient morbidity and mortality1, yet the factors that determine the organs where cancers can metastasize are incompletely understood. In this study, we quantify the absolute levels of over 100 nutrients available across multiple tissues in mice and investigate how this relates to the ability of breast cancer cells to grow in different organs. We engineered breast cancer cells with broad metastatic potential to be auxotrophic for specific nutrients and assessed their ability to colonize different organs. We then asked how tumor growth in different tissues relates to nutrient availability and tumor biosynthetic activity. We find that single nutrients alone do not define the sites where breast cancer cells can grow as metastases. Additionally, we identify purine synthesis as a requirement for tumor growth and metastasis across many tissues and find that this phenotype is independent of tissue nucleotide availability or tumor de novo nucleotide synthesis activity. These data suggest that a complex interplay of multiple nutrients within the microenvironment dictates potential sites of metastatic cancer growth, and highlights the interdependence between extrinsic environmental factors and intrinsic cellular properties in influencing where breast cancer cells can grow as metastases.

cancer biology↗