Expression of the oncogenic transcription factor MYC is increased in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Although MYC has been shown to alter metabolism during tumorigenesis, the role of MYC in TNBC metabolism has not been established. Camarda et al. now report that fatty acid oxidation (FAO) is upregulated in a mouse model of MYC-overexpressing TNBC, as well as in tumours from patients with breast cancer. Inhibition of FAO, using the carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 inhibitor etomoxir, blocked tumour growth in both a MYC-driven transgenic TNBC mouse model and in a patient-derived xenograft model of MYC-overexpressing TNBC.
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17 May 2016
The name of the first author of the paper, Roman Camarda, was provided incorrectly in the article text and the reference. This has now been corrected in the online version.
References
Camarda, R. et al. Inhibition of fatty acid oxidation as a therapy for MYC-overexpressing triple-negative breast cancer. Nat. Med. 22, 427–432 (2016)
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Crunkhorn, S. Inhibiting fatty acid oxidation blocks tumour growth. Nat Rev Drug Discov 15, 310 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd.2016.76
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd.2016.76