Published in

The Company of Biologists, Disease Models and Mechanisms, 8(11), 2018

DOI: 10.1242/dmm.034272

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Immunometabolism in cancer at a glance

Journal article published in 2018 by Katrin Singer, Wan-Chen Cheng, Marina Kreutz, Ping-Chih Ho, Peter J. Siska ORCID
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

ABSTRACT The scientific knowledge about tumor metabolism has grown at a fascinating rate in recent decades. We now know that tumors are highly active both in their metabolism of available nutrients and in the secretion of metabolic by-products. However, cancer cells can modulate metabolic pathways and thus adapt to specific nutrients. Unlike tumor cells, immune cells are not subject to a ‘micro-evolution’ that would allow them to adapt to progressing tumors that continuously develop new mechanisms of immune escape. Consequently, immune cells are often irreversibly affected and may allow or even support cancer progression. The mechanisms of how tumors change immune cell function are not sufficiently explored. It is, however, clear that commonly shared features of tumor metabolism, such as local nutrient depletion or production of metabolic ‘waste’ can broadly affect immune cells and contribute to immune evasion. Moreover, immune cells utilize different metabolic programs based on their subtype and function, and these immunometabolic pathways can be modified in the tumor microenvironment. In this review and accompanying poster, we identify and describe the common mechanisms by which tumors metabolically affect the tumor-infiltrating cells of native and adaptive immunity, and discuss how these mechanisms may lead to novel therapeutic opportunities.