About this Research Topic
Cancer cells undergo metabolic reprogramming to accumulate biomass necessary for sustained proliferation. Proteogenic amino acids serve as a critical biofuel for cancer cells due to their contribution to various functions such as protein, lipid, and nucleotide synthesis. Recent advances have also highlighted the role of amino acids in controlling the cancer cell's response to immunotherapy. Because all these functions are closely linked to cancer cell growth and proliferation, many amino acid biosynthetic and amino acid uptake-related pathways are overexpressed by different cancer types. Amino acid metabolism is highly redundant and differs significantly by several factors such as oncogenic mutations, tissue of origin, cancer subtype and microenvironment. Different strategies to target amino acid metabolism include depleting amino acids in blood serum, blocking uptake by transporters and inhibiting biosynthetic or catabolic enzymes.
Recent research on amino acid metabolism in cancer has clearly shown the crucial role of amino acids in cancer cell growth, proliferation, and their response to immunotherapy. Several underlying challenges associated with targeting amino acid metabolism include pathway redundancy and the effect of the microenvironment on metabolism. In this topic, we aim to address topics such as how to target pathway redundancy to discover novel approaches for targeting amino acid metabolism. This can be achieved by targeting multiple steps within the amino acid metabolic pathways. Additionally, the impact of the microenvironment on cancer cell metabolism can be studied through new advances such as employing physiological cell culture media and three-dimensional cell culture models. Another topic of interest is the effect of amino acid metabolism in cancer cell immunotherapy response. Most of the work has focused on the role of tryptophan metabolism in immunotherapy response. However, recent studies have highlighted the importance of another amino acid such as serine in immunotherapy response.
In this issue, we focus on amino acid metabolism to control cancer cell growth, proliferation, metastasis, and their response to immunotherapy. We welcome you to submit research articles for an upcoming volume focused on the importance of amino acids in cancer cell development, proliferation, and response to immunotherapy.
We seek contributions on the following topics:
1. Targeting Pathway Redundancy: Innovative approaches targeting multiple steps within amino acid metabolic pathways to overcome pathway redundancy.
2. Microenvironmental Impact: Studies employing advanced techniques such as physiological cell culture media and three-dimensional cell culture models to understand the influence of the tumour microenvironment on amino acid metabolism.
3. Immunotherapy Response: Investigations into the role of amino acid metabolism, beyond tryptophan, in modulating cancer cell response to immunotherapy, with a spotlight on amino acids like serine. We look forward to your valuable contributions to furthering our understanding of this critical field of cancer research.
Please note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal.
Recent research on amino acid metabolism in cancer has clearly shown the crucial role of amino acids in cancer cell growth, proliferation, and their response to immunotherapy. Several underlying challenges associated with targeting amino acid metabolism include pathway redundancy and the effect of the microenvironment on metabolism. In this topic, we aim to address topics such as how to target pathway redundancy to discover novel approaches for targeting amino acid metabolism. This can be achieved by targeting multiple steps within the amino acid metabolic pathways. Additionally, the impact of the microenvironment on cancer cell metabolism can be studied through new advances such as employing physiological cell culture media and three-dimensional cell culture models. Another topic of interest is the effect of amino acid metabolism in cancer cell immunotherapy response. Most of the work has focused on the role of tryptophan metabolism in immunotherapy response. However, recent studies have highlighted the importance of another amino acid such as serine in immunotherapy response.
In this issue, we focus on amino acid metabolism to control cancer cell growth, proliferation, metastasis, and their response to immunotherapy. We welcome you to submit research articles for an upcoming volume focused on the importance of amino acids in cancer cell development, proliferation, and response to immunotherapy.
We seek contributions on the following topics:
1. Targeting Pathway Redundancy: Innovative approaches targeting multiple steps within amino acid metabolic pathways to overcome pathway redundancy.
2. Microenvironmental Impact: Studies employing advanced techniques such as physiological cell culture media and three-dimensional cell culture models to understand the influence of the tumour microenvironment on amino acid metabolism.
3. Immunotherapy Response: Investigations into the role of amino acid metabolism, beyond tryptophan, in modulating cancer cell response to immunotherapy, with a spotlight on amino acids like serine. We look forward to your valuable contributions to furthering our understanding of this critical field of cancer research.
Please note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal.
Keywords: Serine, Metabolism, Immune Response, Proteogenic amino acids
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.
