CAMB XXX:
Stress Responses and Metabolism in Cancer
Course co-Directors: Celeste Simon, Katy Wellen and Jim Alwine
Course will be limited to 12 students, first preference given to Cancer Biology Program Students
We propose a modular course with both student presentations and lectures. The course will
meet once weekly for student presentations and, for lectures, will meet a second time on select weeks;
we anticipate 4-5 lectures, thus 4-5 weeks where there will be two meetings. The goal of the course will
be to give students a better understanding of the abrogation of normal cellular metabolism and stress
signaling during cancer and how these interplay with each other to create/maintain a malignant state.
The course will also include 4 to 5 lectures devoted to metabolomics methodologies.
We propose 4 modules for the course:
1. Metabolism in normal and transformed cells:
Glucose metabolism and the Warburg effect
Glutamine metabolism and anaplerosis
Fatty acid synthesis/Myc control
Fatty acid metabolism
Metabolism and epigenetics
Viral effects on metabolism
Oncometabolites/ mutations in metabolic enzymes
Nuclear functions of metabolic enzymes
2. Stress signaling and Stress Responses in normal and transformed cells:
The UPR
Hypoxia/HIF
Stress and mTOR signaling
ROS/mitochondrial degegulation
Viral effects on stress signaling
AMPK
3. Interplay between stress signaling and metabolism in normal and transformed cells:
mTOR
Sirtuins
Mitochondrial deregulation in Cancer
Oxidative stress
4. Methods in Metabolomics
4 -5 methods/techniques lectures focused on MS and NMR approaches (Tony, Katy,
Aalim and others)
Topics: NMR and MS basics, Hyperpolarization, Flux analysis, in vivo imaging techniques
and clinical applications
Topics 1, 2 and 3 will be introduced with a 15-20 min overview by an appropriate faculty member.
Students will be provided with a review, when possible, as well as paper(s) but will be encouraged to
find at least one additional appropriate paper. They will meet one or more times with an appropriate
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faculty member to discuss their paper(s) and the plan for their presentation including background
material.
Grades will be based on the presentation, demonstrated depth of understanding and class
participation/discussion
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