Cancer cell metabolism

There are a number of reasons to think that energy and nutrient metabolism in cancer cells in a solid tumor is likely to be different than in normal cells and thus a potential point of attack for cancer therapy. First, during the initiation and growth of a solid tumor regions of the tumor may be poorly vascularized and thus lack the oxygen and nutrients necessary for normal cells to live. To survive, tumor cells must adapt their energy demands and intermediary metabolism to their environment. Second, the deranged signaling common to cancer cells can alter the expression and activity of metabolic enzymes, affecting metabolic processes in ways that may not occur in normal cells. Third, many cancer cells grow and proliferate at rates far higher than most others cells in an adult, creating a demand for the building blocks of macromolecules that is not shared by most normal cells. For these reasons, it is surprising that the literature contains relatively little information on the metabolic processes, besides glycolysis, that are necessary for tumor cell life. We would like to identify the metabolic processes that are necessary for cancer cells to proliferate and survive in tumors. The lab is using in vivo shRNA screening as well as bioinformatic analyses to systematically identify all metabolic genes that are necessary for in vivo tumorigenesis. Several interesting pathways have been identified and are being studied at the mechanistic level.

Click here for a review of cancer cell metabolism which we recently wrote.