Hallmarks of cancer stem cell metabolism

Cancer cells adapt cellular metabolism to cope with their high proliferation rate. Instead of primarily using oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), cancer cells use less efficient glycolysis for the production of ATP and building blocks (Warburg effect). However, tumours are not uniform, but rather functionally heterogeneous and harbour a subset of cancer cells with stemness features. Such cancer cells have the ability to repopulate the entire tumour and thus have been termed cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumour-initiating cells (TICs). As opposed to differentiated bulk tumour cells relying on glycolysis, CSCs show a distinct metabolic phenotype that, depending on the cancer type, can be highly glycolytic or…

• PC
  Pancreatic Cancer UK
• CR
  Cancer Research UK

  Award: FP7/2007-2013
• CS
  China Scholarship Council
• SU
  Stand Up To Cancer