Ravi Thakur, Nicholas J Mullen, Kamiya Mehla, Pankaj K Singh
{"title":"Tumor-stromal metabolic crosstalk in pancreatic cancer.","authors":"Ravi Thakur, Nicholas J Mullen, Kamiya Mehla, Pankaj K Singh","doi":"10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive malignancy with a dire prognosis. Standard-of-care chemotherapy regimens offer marginal survival benefit and carry risk of severe toxicity, while immunotherapy approaches have uniformly failed in clinical trials. Extensive desmoplasia in the PDAC tumor microenvironment (TME) disrupts blood flow to and from the tumor, thereby creating a nutrient-depleted, hypoxic, and acidic milieu that suppresses the function of antitumor immune cells and imparts chemotherapy resistance. Additionally, recent seminal studies have demonstrated crucial roles for metabolic crosstalk - the exchange of metabolites between PDAC cells and stromal cell populations in the TME - in establishing and maintaining core malignant behaviors of PDAC: tumor growth, metastasis, immune evasion, and therapy resistance. In this review, we provide a conceptual overview of metabolic crosstalk and how it evolves under various selection pressures in the TME, analyze the landscape of proposed tumorigenic metabolic crosstalk pathways, and highlight potentially druggable nodes.</p>","PeriodicalId":56085,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cell Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144163820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
François E Mercier, Victor Gife, Raquel Aloyz, Laura Hulea
{"title":"Translational control of leukemic metabolism and disease progression.","authors":"François E Mercier, Victor Gife, Raquel Aloyz, Laura Hulea","doi":"10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematological cancer with a 70% five-year mortality rate. Relapse occurs in approximately half of adults treated with intensive chemotherapy, while responses to targeted therapies are short-lasting. Frequent mutations in signaling pathways, such as FLT3 tyrosine kinase and RAS, lead to dysregulated mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1)and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, increased protein synthesis, enhanced mitochondrial fitness, and metabolic adaptations that drive leukemic cell proliferation and survival. Here, emerging evidence supporting the unique role of eukaryotic initiation factor 4F as a key driver of the expression of proteins regulating leukemic cell metabolism and survival and the potential therapeutic benefit of targeting this pathway pharmacologically in AML are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":56085,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cell Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144133381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cell cycle regulation by the ribotoxic stress response.","authors":"Connor D McKenney, Sergi Regot","doi":"10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cells must sense and respond to numerous stimuli to maintain their function. Stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs) are part of an integrated network that responds to these stimuli and have critical roles in determining cell behavior. Over the past 5 years, ribosomes and the ribotoxic stress response (RSR) have unexpectedly emerged as critical regulators of the SAPK network and drivers of global cell fate changes. In particular, RSR-SAPK signaling has potent effects on cellular proliferation, with important implications for senescence and cancer. In this review, we discuss cell cycle regulation by the SAPK p38, with a particular focus on how ribotoxic stress affects key cell cycle transitions.</p>","PeriodicalId":56085,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cell Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144086946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hypoxia-specific transcriptional condensates drive metastasis.","authors":"Steven Ingersoll, Xiaojun Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Compartmentalization by phase separation is an emerging principle for regulating transcription. While the compartmentalization mechanisms by which cells regulate genetic activities in response to specific environmental signals remain largely unclear, a recent study by Gao et al. suggests that hypoxia induces the formation of phase-separated condensates, which impacts metastasis-related transcription through chromatin organization.</p>","PeriodicalId":56085,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cell Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144086949","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mitochondrial transfer in endothelial cells and vascular health.","authors":"Gwang-Bum Im, Juan M Melero-Martin","doi":"10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mitochondria play a vital role in cellular energy metabolism and vascular health, with their function directly influencing endothelial cell (EC) bioenergetics and integrity. Mitochondrial transfer has emerged as a key mechanism of intercellular communication, impacting angiogenesis, tissue repair, and cellular homeostasis. This review highlights recent findings on mitochondrial transfer, including natural mechanisms - such as tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) and extracellular vesicles (EVs) - and artificial approaches like mitochondrial transplantation. These processes enhance EC function and support vascularization under pathological conditions, including ischemia. While early clinical trials demonstrate therapeutic potential, challenges such as mitochondrial instability and scaling host-derived mitochondria persist. Continued research is essential to optimize mitochondrial transfer and advance its application as a therapeutic strategy for restoring vascular health.</p>","PeriodicalId":56085,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cell Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144081916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mapping the funding landscape for public engagement with science.","authors":"Fanuel J Muindi","doi":"10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The funding landscape for public engagement with science (PES) is highly dynamic. More research is needed to better track and understand the rapidly evolving funding landscape in PES. This paper shares insights from an ongoing mapping of the funding landscape and offers recommendations for new research to improve the resolution of such maps.</p>","PeriodicalId":56085,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cell Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144051135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The neuronal-like behaviour of macrophages.","authors":"Simone Di Giovanni","doi":"10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2025.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tissue-resident macrophages (TRMs) contribute to both organ physiology and pathology by communicating with the nervous system and tissue-resident cells. They have been increasingly reported to be extremely plastic and adaptable, as shown by their broad range of molecular signatures and functional roles well beyond their classical duties as phagocytes. It has recently been found that macrophages can reside in proximity to muscle spindles, which are sensory neurons sensing muscle length. Surprisingly muscle spindle macrophages express neuron-like gene expression signatures and support muscle contraction by releasing glutamate. This behaviour is more in keeping with neurons rather than immune cells. Here, the potential additional roles for muscle spindle macrophages in muscle contraction and locomotion at homeostasis and in disease states will be discussed. It will also be debated whether the use of neurotransmitters by myeloid cells as shared currency to optimise cell to cell communication, to favour neural circuit development, homeostasis and repair is an exception or could rather be the rule.</p>","PeriodicalId":56085,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cell Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144065046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in Cell BiologyPub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2024-10-21DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2024.09.005
Bo Shi, Thanh Kha Phan, Ivan K H Poon
{"title":"Extracellular vesicles from the dead: the final message.","authors":"Bo Shi, Thanh Kha Phan, Ivan K H Poon","doi":"10.1016/j.tcb.2024.09.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tcb.2024.09.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Communication between dying and neighbouring cells is vital to ensure appropriate processes such as tissue repair or inflammation are initiated in response to cell death. As a mechanism to aid intercellular communication, cells undergoing apoptosis can release membrane-bound extracellular vesicles (EVs) called apoptotic-cell-derived EVs (ApoEVs) that can influence downstream processes through biomolecules within or on ApoEVs. ApoEVs are broadly categorised based on size as either large ApoEVs known as apoptotic bodies (ApoBDs) or small ApoEVs (s-ApoEVs). Notably, the mechanisms of ApoBD and s-ApoEV formation are different, and the functions of these two ApoEV subsets are distinct. This Review focuses on the biogenesis and functional properties of both ApoBDs and s-ApoEVs, particularly in the context of cell clearance, cell signalling and disease progression.</p>","PeriodicalId":56085,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cell Biology","volume":" ","pages":"439-452"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142513569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in Cell BiologyPub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2024-10-08DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2024.09.003
Shuo Yang, Fiachra Humphries
{"title":"Emerging roles of ECSIT in immunity and tumorigenesis.","authors":"Shuo Yang, Fiachra Humphries","doi":"10.1016/j.tcb.2024.09.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tcb.2024.09.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mitochondria are signaling hubs that produce immunomodulatory metabolites during the immune response. In addition, mitochondria also facilitate the recruitment and anchoring of immune signaling complexes during infection. Evolutionary conserved signaling intermediate in toll (ECSIT) was initially described as a positive regulator of the transcription factor Nuclear factor kappa-light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB). More recently, ECSIT has emerged as a regulator of bacterial clearance, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS), and mitophagy. In addition, ECSIT has been identified as a control point in responding to viral infection and tumorigenesis. Notably, ECSIT loss in different models and cell types has been found to lead to enhanced tumorigenesis. Thus, ECSIT functions as a metabolic tumor suppressor and limits cancer pathogenesis. In this review, we highlight the key functions and crosstalk mechanisms that ECSIT bridges between cell metabolism and immunity and focus then on the antitumor role of ECSIT independent of immunity.</p>","PeriodicalId":56085,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cell Biology","volume":" ","pages":"426-438"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142395612","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in Cell BiologyPub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-04-09DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2025.03.004
Ivan Mikicic, Petra Beli
{"title":"When RNA damage induces DNA breaks.","authors":"Ivan Mikicic, Petra Beli","doi":"10.1016/j.tcb.2025.03.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2025.03.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While alkylated mRNAs are known to activate ribosome quality control in the cytoplasm, how do cells deal with damaged RNAs in the nucleus? In their current work, Tsao et al. discover a new pathway of RNA damage repair and unexpectedly find that RNA alkylation can induce R-loops and DNA breaks.</p>","PeriodicalId":56085,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cell Biology","volume":"35 5","pages":"359-360"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144060985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}