Lipid Metabolic Reprogramming in Embryonal Neoplasms with MYCN Amplification

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Cancer cells exhibit unrestrained cell growth and proliferation owing to tumor-specific characteristics such as altered metabolism. Tumor cells vary metabolic pathways to meet their needs for rapid cell growth. In this review, we focus particularly on lipid metabolism in embryonal tumors with deregulated MYCN function, specifically neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumor, medulloblastoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. We also discuss whether we can target lipid metabolism to restrict tumor cell growth and proliferation. ABSTRACT: Tumor cells reprogram their metabolism, including glucose, glutamine, nucleotide, lipid, and amino acids to meet their enhanced energy demands, redox balance, and requirement of biosynthetic substrates for uncontrolled cell proliferation. Altered lipid metabolism in cancer provides lipids for rapid membrane biogenesis, generates the energy required for unrestricted cell proliferation, and some of the lipids act as signaling pathway mediators. In this review, we focus on the role of lipid metabolism in embryonal neoplasms with MYCN dysregulation. We specifically review lipid metabolic reactions in neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, medulloblastoma, Wilms tumor, and rhabdomyosarcoma and the possibility of targeting lipid metabolism. Additionally, the regulation of lipid metabolism by the MYCN oncogene is discussed.