Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) are critically involved in cancer metastasis and chemoresistance, acting as one major obstacle in clinical practice. While accumulating studies have implicated the metabolic reprogramming of CSCs, mitochondrial dynamics in such cells remain poorly understood. Here we pinpointed OPA1hi with mitochondrial fusion as a metabolic feature of human lung CSCs, licensing their stem-like properties. Specifically, human lung CSCs exerted enhanced lipogenesis, inducing OPA1 expression via transcription factor SAM Pointed Domain containing ETS transcription Factor (SPDEF). In consequence, OPA1hi promoted mitochondrial fusion and stemness of CSCs. Such lipogenesishi, SPDEFhi, and OPA1hi metabolic adaptions were verified with primary CSCs from lung cancer patients. Accordingly, blocking lipogenesis and mitochondrial fusion efficiently impeded CSC expansion and growth of organoids derived from patients with lung cancer. Together, lipogenesis regulates mitochondrial dynamics via OPA1 for controlling CSCs in human lung cancer.
Zhen Liu, Jiaxin Lei, Tong Wu, Weijie Hu, Ming Zheng, Ying Wang, Jingdong Song, Hang Ruan, Lin Xu, Tao Ren, Wei Xu, Zhenke Wen
Usage data is cumulative from January 2025 through January 2026.
| Usage | JCI | PMC |
|---|---|---|
| Text version | 1,027 | 239 |
| 146 | 79 | |
| Figure | 662 | 23 |
| Supplemental data | 117 | 18 |
| Citation downloads | 77 | 0 |
| Totals | 2,029 | 359 |
| Total Views | 2,388 | |
Usage information is collected from two different sources: this site (JCI) and Pubmed Central (PMC). JCI information (compiled daily) shows human readership based on methods we employ to screen out robotic usage. PMC information (aggregated monthly) is also similarly screened of robotic usage.
Various methods are used to distinguish robotic usage. For example, Google automatically scans articles to add to its search index and identifies itself as robotic; other services might not clearly identify themselves as robotic, or they are new or unknown as robotic. Because this activity can be misinterpreted as human readership, data may be re-processed periodically to reflect an improved understanding of robotic activity. Because of these factors, readers should consider usage information illustrative but subject to change.