Abstract #0057

Effects of Targeting the Glycerophosphocholine Phosphodiesterase GDPD5 in Breast Cancer Models

Maria Dung Cao^1,2, Lu Jiang¹, Balaji Krishnamachary¹, Mailin Doepkens^1,3, Zaver M Bhjuwalla¹, Ingrid Gribbestad², Kristine Glunde¹

¹Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology & Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; ²Department of Circulation & Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway; ³Department of Chemistry & Biology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

In our study we investigated the effects of silencing the glycerophosphocholine phosphodiesterase GDPD5 in MCF7 breast cancer cells and tumor xenograft models using both ex vivo high-resolution MRS and in vivo MRSI. Here we demonstrated for the first time that silencing the specific GPC-PDE enzyme GDPD5 increased the tCho levels in breast cancer cells and tumor models. Interestingly, the tumor growth rate of the GDPD5-silenced breast tumor xenografts was significantly reduced. These findings emphasize that GDPD5 may have a potential role as an anticancer target in regulating choline phospholipid metabolism in breast cancer.