Cancer Metabolism and RNA Regulation Linked by Single Protein in Leukemia

Cancer cells are metabolic opportunists, bending every pathway to fuel unchecked growth. Now UCLA scientists show that a single protein—Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 mRNA-Binding Protein 3 (IGF2BP3)—does double duty, rewiring leukemia metabolism and reshaping RNA regulation to keep malignant cells alive.

In a study published in Cell Reports Medicine, the researchers identify IGF2BP3 as a “master switch” that alters sugar breakdown and boosts leukemia proliferation by driving RNA modifications. Blocking this dual control could open new therapeutic avenues that starve cancer cells of both energy and survival signals. IGF2BP3, typically silenced after early human development, reactivates in several cancers, including leukemia, underscoring its oncogenic potential.

Utilizing Seahorse XF analysis, the team demonstrated that knocking out IGF2BP3 sharply reduced glycolysis, a pathway favored by many cancers for rapid growth. This unexpected connection between RNA regulation and metabolism highlights how leukemia sustains itself, suggesting that targeting IGF2BP3 could disrupt both energy supply and survival signals in cancer cells. The researchers are now investigating small molecules to inhibit this protein, potentially expanding the therapeutic landscape for leukemia and other malignancies fueled by similar metabolic-RNA circuits.