Myc linked to dysregulation of cholesterol transport and storage in non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Whilst mutations in Kras and over-expression of Myc are commonly found in patients, the role of altered lipid metabolism in lung cancer and its interplay with oncogenic Myc is poorly understood. Here we use a transgenic mouse model of Kras-driven lung adenocarcinoma with reversible activation of Myc, in combination with surface analysis lipid profiling of lung tumours and transcriptomics, to study the effect of Myc activity on cholesterol homeostasis. Our findings reveal that activation of Myc leads to the accumulation of cholesteryl esters (CE), stored in lipid droplets. Subsequent Myc deactivation leads to further increases in CEs, in contrast to tumours in which Myc was never activated. Gene expression analysis linked cholesterol transport and storage pathways to Myc activity. Our results suggest that increased Myc activity is associated with increased cholesterol influx, reduced efflux and accumulation of CE-rich lipid droplets in lung tumours. Targeting cholesterol homeostasis is proposed as a promising avenue to explore for novel treatments of lung cancer, with diagnostic and stratification potential in human NSCLC