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Updated: Dec 29, 2025

Exploring the Regulation of Lipid Droplet Catabolism through Lipophagy
Published on: January 31, 2025
Crosstalk between autophagy and metabolic regulation of cancer stem cells
Mouradi El Hout1,2, Emma Cosialls1,2, Maryam Mehrpour3,4
1Institut Necker-Enfants Malades (INEM), Inserm U1151-CNRS UMR 8253, F-75993, Paris, France.
Abstract:
Cancer is now considered as a heterogeneous ecosystem in which tumor cells collaborate with each other and with host cells in their microenvironment. As circumstances change, the ecosystem evolves to ensure the survival and growth of the cancer cells. In this ecosystem, metabolism is not only a key player but also drives stemness. In this review, we first summarize our current understanding of how autophagy influences cancer stem cell phenotype. We emphasize metabolic pathways in cancer stem cells and discuss how autophagy-mediated regulation metabolism is involved in their maintenance and proliferation. We then provide an update on the role of metabolic reprogramming and plasticity in cancer stem cells. Finally, we discuss how metabolic pathways in cancer stem cells could be therapeutically targeted.
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