Published in

Nature Research, Nature Communications, 1(13), 2022

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30926-z

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Remote solid cancers rewire hepatic nitrogen metabolism via host nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

AbstractCancers disrupt host homeostasis in various manners but the identity of host factors underlying such disruption remains largely unknown. Here we show that nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase (NNMT) is a host factor that mediates metabolic dysfunction in the livers of cancer-bearing mice. Multiple solid cancers distantly increase expression of Nnmt and its product 1-methylnicotinamide (MNAM) in the liver. Multi-omics analyses reveal suppression of the urea cycle accompanied by accumulation of amino acids, and enhancement of uracil biogenesis in the livers of cancer-bearing mice. Importantly, genetic deletion of Nnmt leads to alleviation of these metabolic abnormalities, and buffers cancer-dependent weight loss and reduction of the voluntary wheel-running activity. Our data also demonstrate that MNAM is capable of affecting urea cycle metabolites in the liver. These results suggest that cancers up-regulate the hepatic NNMT pathway to rewire liver metabolism towards uracil biogenesis rather than nitrogen disposal via the urea cycle, thereby disrupting host homeostasis.