Title:Pieces of the Complex Puzzle of Cancer Cell Energy Metabolism: An Overview of Energy Metabolism and Alternatives for Targeted Cancer Therapy
Volume: 28
Issue: 18
Author(s): Zeinab Ghasemishahrestani*, Larissa Maura Melo Mattos, Tatiana Martins Tilli, André Luis Souza dos Santos and Marcos Dias Pereira*
Affiliation:
- Departamento de Bioquimica, Instituto de Quimica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro,Brazil
- Departamento de Bioquimica, Instituto de Quimica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro,Brazil
Keywords:
Carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, oncogenes and tumor suppressors,
targeted therapy, alternative therapy.
Abstract: Over the past decades, several advances in cancer cell biology have led to relevant
details about a phenomenon called the ‘Warburg effect’. Currently, it has been accepted that
the Warburg effect is not compatible with all cancer cells, and thus the process of aerobic glycolysis
is now challenged by the knowledge of a large number of cells presenting mitochondrial
function. The energy metabolism of cancer cells is focused on the bioenergetic and biosynthetic
pathways in order to meet the requirements of rapid proliferation. Changes in the
metabolism of carbohydrates, amino acids and lipids have already been reported for cancer
cells and this might play an important role in cancer progression. To the best of our knowledge,
these changes are mainly attributed to genetic reprogramming which leads to the transformation
of a healthy into a cancerous cell. Indeed, several enzymes that are highly relevant
for cellular energy are targets of oncogenes (e.g. PI3K, HIF1, and Myc) and tumor suppressor
proteins (e.g. p53). As a consequence of extensive studies on cancer cell metabolism, some
new therapeutic strategies have appeared that aim to interrupt the aberrant metabolism, in addition
to influencing genetic reprogramming in cancer cells. In this review, we present an
overview of cancer cell metabolism (carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid), and also describe
oncogenes and tumor suppressors that directly affect the metabolism. We also discuss some of
the potential therapeutic candidates which have been designed to target and disrupt the main
driving forces associated with cancer cell metabolism and proliferation.
