The significant role of amino acid metabolic reprogramming in cancer

• Published in: Cell communication and signaling Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 380 - 26
• Main Authors: Liu, Xiaohong, Ren, Bo, Ren, Jie, Gu, Minzhi, You, Lei, Zhao, Yupei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 29.07.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adenosine; Amino acid metabolism; Amino acids; Amino Acids - metabolism; Analysis; Angiogenesis; Animals; Apoptosis; Biology; Biosynthesis; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Carbon; Care and treatment; Cell growth; Cellular Reprogramming; Colorectal cancer; Dehydrogenases; Development and progression; Diagnosis; Drug resistance; Enzymes; Epigenetic inheritance; Epigenetic regulation; Epigenetics; Extracellular matrix; Health aspects; Homeostasis; Humans; Immune response; Immune tolerance; Immunological tolerance; Immunomodulation; Kinases; Medical prognosis; Metabolic Reprogramming; Metabolism; Metabolites; Metastases; Metastasis; Neoplasms - metabolism; Neoplasms - pathology; Nitrogen; Oxidative metabolism; Oxidative stress; Phosphorylation; Physiological aspects; Polyamines; Protein biosynthesis; Protein synthesis; Protein turnover; Proteins; Redox; Review; Stromal cells; Tumor cells; Tumor Microenvironment; Tumors; China; Redox; Angiogenesis; Epigenetic regulation; Tumor microenvironment; Amino acid metabolism; Immune tolerance
• ISSN: 1478-811X; 1478-811X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12964-024-01760-1

Amino acid metabolism plays a pivotal role in tumor microenvironment, influencing various aspects of cancer progression. The metabolic reprogramming of amino acids in tumor cells is intricately linked to protein synthesis, nucleotide synthesis, modulation of signaling pathways, regulation of tumor cell metabolism, maintenance of oxidative stress homeostasis, and epigenetic modifications. Furthermore, the dysregulation of amino acid metabolism also impacts tumor microenvironment and tumor immunity. Amino acids can act as signaling molecules that modulate immune cell function and immune tolerance within the tumor microenvironment, reshaping the anti-tumor immune response and promoting immune evasion by cancer cells. Moreover, amino acid metabolism can influence the behavior of stromal cells, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts, regulate ECM remodeling and promote angiogenesis, thereby facilitating tumor growth and metastasis. Understanding the intricate interplay between amino acid metabolism and the tumor microenvironment is of crucial significance. Expanding our knowledge of the multifaceted roles of amino acid metabolism in tumor microenvironment holds significant promise for the development of more effective cancer therapies aimed at disrupting the metabolic dependencies of cancer cells and modulating the tumor microenvironment to enhance anti-tumor immune responses and inhibit tumor progression.