Rewiring amino acids in cancer

Abstract

Cancer cells often survive in harsh microenvironments. To sustain rapid growth and proliferation, they reprogram metabolic pathways through multiple mechanisms to meet the demands of biosynthesis and energy production. Both essential and non-essential amino acids support cancer cell synthesis of macromolecules such as proteins and nucleotides. They also participate in diverse biological processes, including oxidative stress defense, epigenetic regulation, and signaling pathway modulation. In this review, we summarize the role of amino acid metabolism in cancer initiation and progression, and highlight recent advances in therapies targeting amino acid metabolism. The aim of this review is to stimulate both basic research and translational studies on cancer therapy through targeting amino acid metabolism.