Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
δ-valerobetaine as a Novel Inhibitor of Breast Cancer Cell Migration: Hinders Cellular Migration of MCF-7 Cells Through Reducing ATP Concentrations and FAK Activation
Lincoln Brown, Braxton Ivie, Bryson Lovorn, Joshua Owens
Based on female breast cancer diagnoses from 2014-2020, the CDC reports that the 5-year relative survival rate for local and regional breast cancers was 98.9% and 86.3%, respectively, while the survival rate for metastasized cancers was reportedly 32.4%. These discrepancies in survival highlight an increased mortality rate when cancer metastasizes. Interestingly, aggressive tumors have been shown to metabolize fats at higher rates than low-metastatic tumors. Recently, our group has discovered the novel nontoxic molecule δ-valerobetaine (VB) that inhibits fat metabolism, and recent data in our lab displays that VB significantly decreases MCF-7 breast cancer cell migration in high-fat environments. We hypothesized that VB reduces cellular migration by lowering overall metabolic capacity and limiting Focal Adhesion Kinase (P-FAK) activity in a high-fat environment. To test this, we cultured MCF-7 cells and applied 4 treatment groups: PBS/BSA, PBS/Oleate, VB/BSA, and VB/Oleate, from which we either extracted protein or ATP and performed a western blot or ATP assay. Preliminary ATP assay data suggests that VB reduces cellular ATP concentration in a high-fat environment, as ATP concentration of the VB/OLE treatment group decreased by a factor of 1.29 relative to the PBS/OLE treatment. Western blot data displays that VB reduces P-FAK activation, as the ratio of P-FAK/FAK in the VB/OLE treatment group decreased 1.63-fold relative to the PBS/OLE treatment. Overall, preliminary data suggests that VB could serve as a promising therapeutic agent that inhibits fat-induced cancer metastasis via inhibiting fat metabolism, thereby lowering the energy availability for migration.
Faculty Mentor
Joshua Owens, Ph.D
Recommended Citation
Ivie, Braxton; Brown, Lincoln; and Lovorn, Bryson, "δ-valerobetaine as a Novel Inhibitor of Breast Cancer Cell Migration: Hinders Cellular Migration of MCF-7 Cells Through Reducing ATP Concentrations and FAK Activation" (2025). Student Scholar Symposium. 2.
https://digitalcollections.lipscomb.edu/student_scholars_symposium/2025/Full_schedule/2
Included in
δ-valerobetaine as a Novel Inhibitor of Breast Cancer Cell Migration: Hinders Cellular Migration of MCF-7 Cells Through Reducing ATP Concentrations and FAK Activation
δ-valerobetaine as a Novel Inhibitor of Breast Cancer Cell Migration: Hinders Cellular Migration of MCF-7 Cells Through Reducing ATP Concentrations and FAK Activation
Lincoln Brown, Braxton Ivie, Bryson Lovorn, Joshua Owens
Based on female breast cancer diagnoses from 2014-2020, the CDC reports that the 5-year relative survival rate for local and regional breast cancers was 98.9% and 86.3%, respectively, while the survival rate for metastasized cancers was reportedly 32.4%. These discrepancies in survival highlight an increased mortality rate when cancer metastasizes. Interestingly, aggressive tumors have been shown to metabolize fats at higher rates than low-metastatic tumors. Recently, our group has discovered the novel nontoxic molecule δ-valerobetaine (VB) that inhibits fat metabolism, and recent data in our lab displays that VB significantly decreases MCF-7 breast cancer cell migration in high-fat environments. We hypothesized that VB reduces cellular migration by lowering overall metabolic capacity and limiting Focal Adhesion Kinase (P-FAK) activity in a high-fat environment. To test this, we cultured MCF-7 cells and applied 4 treatment groups: PBS/BSA, PBS/Oleate, VB/BSA, and VB/Oleate, from which we either extracted protein or ATP and performed a western blot or ATP assay. Preliminary ATP assay data suggests that VB reduces cellular ATP concentration in a high-fat environment, as ATP concentration of the VB/OLE treatment group decreased by a factor of 1.29 relative to the PBS/OLE treatment. Western blot data displays that VB reduces P-FAK activation, as the ratio of P-FAK/FAK in the VB/OLE treatment group decreased 1.63-fold relative to the PBS/OLE treatment. Overall, preliminary data suggests that VB could serve as a promising therapeutic agent that inhibits fat-induced cancer metastasis via inhibiting fat metabolism, thereby lowering the energy availability for migration.