Breast cancer cells rely on environmental pyruvate to shape the metastatic niche

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a major component of the local environment, i.e. the niche, that can determine cell behavior1. During metastatic growth, cancer cells shape the ECM of the metastatic niche by hydroxylating collagen to promote their own metastatic growth2, 3. However, only particular nutrients might support the ability of cancer cells to hydroxylate collagen because nutrients dictate which enzymatic reactions are active in cancer cells4, 5. Here, we discovered that breast cancer cells rely on the nutrient pyruvate to drive collagen-based ECM remodeling in the lung metastatic niche. Specifically, we discovered that pyruvate uptake induces the production of α-ketoglutarate. This metabolite in turn activated collagen hydroxylation by increasing the activity of the enzyme collagen prolyl-4-hydroxylase (P4HA). Strikingly, inhibition of pyruvate metabolism was sufficient to impair collagen hydroxylation and consequently the growth of breast cancer-derived lung metastases in different mouse models. In summary, we provide a mechanistic understanding of the link between collagen remodeling and the nutrient environment in the metastatic niche.