Abstract
Metabolic reprogramming is an important cancer hallmark. However, the mechanisms driving metabolic phenotypes of cancer cells are unclear. Here, we show that the interferon-inducible (IFN-inducible) protein viperin drove metabolic alteration in cancer cells. Viperin expression was observed in various types of cancer and was inversely correlated with the survival rates of patients with gastric, lung, breast, renal, pancreatic, or brain cancer. By generating viperin knockdown or stably expressing cancer cells, we showed that viperin, but not a mutant lacking its iron-sulfur cluster–binding motif, increased lipogenesis and glycolysis via inhibition of fatty acid β-oxidation in cancer cells. In the tumor microenvironment, deficiency of fatty acids and oxygen as well as production of IFNs upregulated viperin expression via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/HIF-1α and JAK/STAT pathways. Moreover, viperin was primarily expressed in cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) and functioned to promote metabolic reprogramming and enhance CSC properties, thereby facilitating tumor growth in xenograft mouse models. Collectively, our data indicate that viperin-mediated metabolic alteration drives the metabolic phenotype and progression of cancer.
Authors
Kyung Mi Choi, Jeong Jin Kim, Jihye Yoo, Ku Sul Kim, Youngeun Gu, John Eom, Haengdueng Jeong, Kyungeun Kim, Ki Taek Nam, Young Soo Park, Joon-Yong Chung, Jun-Young Seo
Graphical abstract
Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)