Abstract 5299: Role of short chain free fatty acid receptors in colorectal cancer

One of the well established risk factors for colorectal cancer is dietary profile. A well recognized negative association of dietary fiber with colorectal cancer warrants further understanding of the underlying mechanism. Bacterial fermentation of dietary fibre results in formation of short chain free fatty acids in the gut. There are two receptors for these fatty acids one of which has been implicated in colorectal cancer. Free fatty acid receptor 2 has been associated with development of colorectal adenoma in a mouse model. We analyzed the differential expression of FFAR2 gene in colorectal cancer patients. Further, we generated genetically engineered colorectal cancer cell line with reduced level of expression of these receptors. These engineered cells were found to have enhanced rate of cell proliferation. In order to understand the mechanism of increased proliferation, we explored the involevement of glucose uptake and cAMP pathways. While there was an increased level of glucose uptake in engineered cells, there was no evidence of involvement of Protein kinase A mediated cAMP pathway. Further studies are needed to fully establish the connection between dietary fibre, gut microbiota and colorectal cancer. Citation Format: Amal AlGhamdi, Saeed AlMahri, Maaged AlAkiel, Sameer Mohammad, Mohammad Aziz. Role of short chain free fatty acid receptors in colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5299.