Title:Post-Transcriptional and Post-translational Regulation of Central Carbon Metabolic Enzymes in Cancer
Volume: 17
Issue: 11
Author(s): Yunqian Wang, Yingxuan Chen*Jingyuan Fang
Affiliation:
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, 145 Middle Shandong Road, Shanghai 200001,China
Keywords:
Cancer, glycolysis, glutaminolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, metabolism, micrornas, posttranslational
modifications, lysine.
Abstract: Malignant transformation of cells requires specific adaptations of cellular metabolism to support
growth and survival. Alterations in cancer central carbon metabolism including aerobic glycolysis, elevated
glutaminolysis, dysregulated tricarboxylic acid cycle and pentose phosphate pathway, facilitate cancer development
by maintaining viability and building new biomass. Although a variety of oncogenes or tumor suppressors
contribute to these rewiring, accumulating evidence suggests that both post-transcriptional and post-translational
modifications (PTMs) also orchestrate the tightly controlled regulation of cancer metabolic adaptations, broadening
the biological mechanisms of cancer metabolic reprogramming. Micro RNA, one kind of posttranscriptional
modification, mediates transcriptional silencing of various metabolic enzymes. Additional, different
kinds of PTMs play important roles in cancer metabolic rewiring by affecting the function, interaction or
stability of target proteins. We survey recent studies demonstrating PTMs at lysine residues and microRNAs that
are involved in reprogramming of cancer central carbon metabolism, and summarize the effect of these modifications
according to different parts of central carbon metabolic pathway. Moreover, we provide an updated
overview of the compounds or agents targeting central carbon metabolism in cancer. Given that the heterogeneity
of cancer biology, a combination of these novel therapeutics and standard chemotherapeutic agents may
obtain better benefit and overcome drug resistance. Finally, this review discusses the challenges and some new
steps that may further advance this field.
