Infographic: How Fat Cells Influence Tumor Growth

Mice that lack p62 in their fat cells grow more tumors than animals that have a functioning version of the protein.

Written byCatherine Offord

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To investigate how fat cells communicate with tumors, researchers knocked out the protein p62 in adipose tissue of a mouse model of prostate cancer (1). The lack of p62 inhibited the activity of the metabolism-regulating mTORC1 complex (2) and reduced the metabolism of fats in adipose tissue (3), leaving tumor cells with more nutrients at their disposal. p62 deficiency also triggered the secretion of osteopontin (OPN), (4) a protein that promotes tumor proliferation and invasion (5).

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Meet the Author

Catherine Offord
After undergraduate research with spiders at the University of Oxford and graduate research with ants at Princeton University, Catherine left arthropods and academia to become a science journalist. She has worked in various guises at The Scientist since 2016. As Senior Editor, she wrote articles for the online and print publications, and edited the magazine’s Notebook, Careers, and Bio Business sections. She reports on subjects ranging from cellular and molecular biology to research misconduct and science policy. Find more of her work at her website.
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