About this Research Topic
Albeit cancer metabolism has been neglected for years, the last decade has experienced a rising interest in the role of metabolism in contributing to cancer onset and progression. Indeed, the simplistic view of cancer as a homogeneous mass of cells, almost exclusively relying on glycolysis to support energy production, has been overcome. Among others, the Warburg Hypothesis, defining cancer cells as purely glycolytic because of mitochondrial dysfunctions, has profoundly evolved.
Due to recent groundbreaking findings that highlight metabolic processes as pivotal in the regulation of tumor biology, including the so-called hallmarks of cancer, the field of cancer metabolism is rapidly changing. As an expanding field, cancer metabolism is currently moving towards new frontiers, including: (i) the identification of metabolic dependencies other than absolute aerobic glycolysis; (ii) the definition of a complex network of interactions among cells, which contribute to the establishment of a plethora of relationships, such as symbiosis, parasitism or competition, in a dynamic equilibrium; (iii) the characterization of the role of conventional metabolites and metabolic by-products that serve biosynthetic or energy purposes and modulate classical signaling pathways in the cell; and (iv) how these metabolites and related signaling pathways are being hijacked to exert functional roles in cancer development.
This Research Topic is intended to discuss all these aspects of cancer metabolism including, but not limited to:
(1) Metabolic reprogramming in driving different hallmarks of cancer
(2) Metabolites as undercover signaling molecules in cancer
(3) Oncometabolites as triggers of epigenetic reprogramming
(4) Oncometabolites as master regulators of signaling pathways and, vice versa, specific signaling alterations as modifiers of cell metabolism
(5) Metabolic heterogeneity as drivers of metabolic relationships between different cell populations
(6) Metabolic cross-talk between cancer and stromal cells
(7) Metabolic alteration in hypoxia and nutrient limitation in the tumor microenvironment
(8) Metabolic plasticity in chemotherapy resistance
(9) Metabolic contributions to cancer redox biology
Authors are welcome to submit an original research article or a review to provide the readers with up-to-date knowledge of the role of metabolism in shaping all aspects of cancer biology.
Due to recent groundbreaking findings that highlight metabolic processes as pivotal in the regulation of tumor biology, including the so-called hallmarks of cancer, the field of cancer metabolism is rapidly changing. As an expanding field, cancer metabolism is currently moving towards new frontiers, including: (i) the identification of metabolic dependencies other than absolute aerobic glycolysis; (ii) the definition of a complex network of interactions among cells, which contribute to the establishment of a plethora of relationships, such as symbiosis, parasitism or competition, in a dynamic equilibrium; (iii) the characterization of the role of conventional metabolites and metabolic by-products that serve biosynthetic or energy purposes and modulate classical signaling pathways in the cell; and (iv) how these metabolites and related signaling pathways are being hijacked to exert functional roles in cancer development.
This Research Topic is intended to discuss all these aspects of cancer metabolism including, but not limited to:
(1) Metabolic reprogramming in driving different hallmarks of cancer
(2) Metabolites as undercover signaling molecules in cancer
(3) Oncometabolites as triggers of epigenetic reprogramming
(4) Oncometabolites as master regulators of signaling pathways and, vice versa, specific signaling alterations as modifiers of cell metabolism
(5) Metabolic heterogeneity as drivers of metabolic relationships between different cell populations
(6) Metabolic cross-talk between cancer and stromal cells
(7) Metabolic alteration in hypoxia and nutrient limitation in the tumor microenvironment
(8) Metabolic plasticity in chemotherapy resistance
(9) Metabolic contributions to cancer redox biology
Authors are welcome to submit an original research article or a review to provide the readers with up-to-date knowledge of the role of metabolism in shaping all aspects of cancer biology.
Keywords: Cancer, metabolism, epigenetic, mitochondria, microenvironment
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
