Tracing the Diverse Paths of One-Carbon Metabolism in Cancer and Beyond

One-carbon (1C) metabolism is a network of biochemical reactions distributed across organelles that delivers folate-activated 1C units to support macromolecule synthesis, methylation, and reductive homeostasis. Fluxes through these pathways are up-regulated in highly proliferative cancer cells, and anti-folates, which target enzymes within the 1C pathway, have long been used in the treatment of cancer. In this work, we review fundamental aspects of 1C metabolism and place it in context with other biosynthetic and redox pathways, such that 1C metabolism acts to bridge pathways across compartments. We further discuss the importance of stable-isotope-tracing techniques combined with mass spectrometry analysis to study 1C metabolism and conclude by highlighting therapeutic approaches that could exploit cancer cells’ dependency on 1C metabolism.