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Tu et al. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2018;4:58 Journal of Cancer
DOI: 10.20517/2394-4722.2018.67 Metastasis and Treatment

Original Article Open Access

Altered energy metabolism and metabolic gene
expression associated with increased metastatic

capacity identified in MDA-MB-231 cell line variants

Yan Tu , Cameron N. Johnstone 2,3,4,5,6 , James G. Ryall , Guillermo H. López-Campos , Christine R.
1
7
8,9
Keenan 1,10,11 , Alastair G. Stewart 1
1 Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, the University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
2 Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.
3 Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia.
4 School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia.
5 Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
6 Department of Pathology, the University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
7 Department of Physiology, the University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
8 Health and Biomedical Informatics Centre, Melbourne Medical School, the University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.

9 Current address:The Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
10 Current address: The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
11 Current address: Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Correspondence to: Prof. Alastair G. Stewart, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, the University of Melbourne,
Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia. E-mail: astew@unimelb.edu.au
How to cite this article: Tu Y, Johnstone CN, Ryall JG, López-Campos GH, Keenan CR, Stewart AG. Altered energy metabolism
and metabolic gene expression associated with increased metastatic capacity identified in MDA-MB-231 cell line variants. J
Cancer Metastasis Treat 2018;4:58. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2018.67
Received: 23 Oct 2018 First Decision: 12 Nov 2018 Revised: 24 Nov 2018 Accepted: 1 Dec 2018 Published: 24 Dec 2018

Science Editor: William Schiemann Copy Editor: Cai-Hong Wang Production Editor: Huan-Liang Wu

Abstract
Aim: Despite current advances in therapies and the gradual decline in breast cancer-related mortality, metastasis
remains a major therapeutic challenge for treatment. Energy reprogramming is now recognized to be an important
part of tumorigenic processes, but its relevance in metastatic dissemination has yet to be elucidated.

Methods: Using the MDA-MB-231HM.LNm5 cell line, a novel, highly metastatic variant line derived from TN hu-
man breast adenocarcinoma MDA-MB-231 line, alteration in growth and energy metabolisms associated with en-
hanced metastatic potential were described. Glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) was character-
ized using the seahorse XF analyzer. Whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) and quantitative real-time PCR
was used to ascertain expression differences in metabolic genes.

Results: We observed reduced proliferation, and an elevation of both glycolytic and OXPHOS metabolism in the

© The Author(s) 2018. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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