Glucose, Microenvironments

and Cancer

Research and Results

Researcher

Dr. Mina Bissell

TED Talk

DevelopmentalGenetics

We all start out as

one cell:

A fertilized egg.

That cell transforms into arms, legs, eyes, feet: From one cell to a brain, stomach, intestines.

Research QuestionAs adults, we

have between 10

and 70 trillion

cells. How do

cells with all the

same genetic

material become

so specialized?

• Bissell believes the answer lies in context and architecture.

• She came to this conclusion based on a number of experiments.

• One of the first experiments was working with a cancer of chickens. Rous discovered the first virus or oncogene that caused it in 1911.

Finding Answers

Thinking Outside the BoxBecause of Rous’ successes the dominant cancer theory became the Oncogene Theory. “All you need is a single oncogene to get cancer.”

Experiment With Chicken Tumor Oncogenes

When she injected a chick embryo with an oncogene marked in blue, the oncogene did not create cancer in the chick. The gene simply just incorporated into the feathers and other tissues of the chick.

Experiment With Chicken Tumor OncogenesWhen she dissociated the oncogene from the chick embryo’s feather, put the oncogene in a Petri dish, the oncogene created cancer cells.

In other words, where the oncogene is and what is around it makes a difference.

Acinus is the cluster

of cells that forms a

berry shaped sac where a secretion is

produced. In the breast, the acini produce milk.

Form and Function

Extracellular matrix was thought

to be inert or just scaffolding.

Bissell Found:• that the microenvironment

(which includes the ECM) regulates cell growth

• that the microenvironment ECM regulates cell organization

• that the ECM communicates with the genes in this regulation and organization

• that without the ECM, cancerous growth occurs

• that the microenvironment is key to normal cell growth

Normal Breast Acini

Cancerous Breast Acini

What Does Food Have to Do With This?

Hyperglycemia

2014 Study

Onodera, Y., Nam, J. and Bissell, M.,(2014). Increased sugar uptake promotesoncogenesis via EPAC/RAP1 and O-GlcNAc pathways. J Clin Invest. 124(1):367–384. doi:10.1172/JCI63146.

Checklist

.

Obesity

Increased Risk of Cancer

Diabetes

Onodera, Y., Nam, J. and Bissell, M.,(2014). Increased sugar uptake promotesoncogenesis via EPAC/RAP1 and O-GlcNAc pathways. J Clin Invest. 124(1):367–384. doi:10.1172/JCI63146.

Checklist

.

Obesity

Increased Risk of Cancer

Diabetes

✓

Onodera, Y., Nam, J. and Bissell, M.,(2014). Increased sugar uptake promotesoncogenesis via EPAC/RAP1 and O-GlcNAc pathways. J Clin Invest. 124(1):367–384. doi:10.1172/JCI63146.

✓

✓

Checklist

.

Obesity

Increased Risk of Cancer

Diabetes

• Organized breast tissue-cells in acini

exposed to too much glucose were

more likely to become disorganized.

• When a reduction in glucose

occurred, the acini became

organized again.

Form and Function

Dr. Mina Bissell

“To our knowledge, this is the first report in which changed glucose uptake alone has been shown to have such profound consequences on the behavior of nonmalignant and malignant epithelial cells.”

Lifestyle Change Is Important

• Check out the post Weight Loss and Breast Cancer Survivorship http://medivizor.com/blog/2014/07/08/weight-loss-breast-cancer-survivorship-positive-results/

• Let’s get moving!

Created by: Kathleen Hoffman, PhD

For Medivizor

Based on TED TalkExperiments That Point To A New Understanding

of Cancer (https://www.ted.com/talks/mina_bissell_experiments_that_point_to_a_new_understanding_of_cancer?language=en#t-283612)

by Dr. Mina Bissell @drkdhoffman @medivizor http://medivizor.com

Credits