The interplay between obesity and cancer: a fly view.
Accumulating epidemiological evidence indicates a strong clinical association between obesity and an increased risk of cancer. The global pandemic of obesity indicates a public health trend towards a substantial increase in cancer incidence and mortality. However, the mechanisms that link obesity to cancer remain incompletely understood. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been increasingly used to model an expanding spectrum of human diseases. Fly models provide a genetically simpler system that is ideal for use as a first step towards dissecting disease interactions. Recently, the combining of fly models of diet-induced obesity with models of cancer has provided a novel model system in which to study the biological mechanisms that underlie the connections between obesity and cancer. In this Review, I summarize recent advances, made using Drosophila, in our understanding of the interplay between diet, obesity, insulin resistance and cancer. I also discuss how the biological mechanisms and therapeutic targets that have been identified in fly studies could be utilized to develop preventative interventions and treatment strategies for obesity-associated cancers.
Metabolism and Cell Growth Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre (CSC), Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK susumu.hirabayashi@csc.mrc.ac.uk.
Susumu
0000-0002-5096-4241
S
Hirabayashi
D000818:Animals; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*
Cancer; Drosophila; Obesity