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Updated: Oct 19, 2025

Assessment of the Metabolic Profile of Primary Leukemia Cells
Published on: November 21, 2018
Moonlighting functions of metabolic enzymes and metabolites in cancer
Chaoyun Pan1, Bo Li2, M Celeste Simon3
1Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Abstract:
The growing field of tumor metabolism has greatly expanded our knowledge of metabolic reprogramming in cancer. Apart from their established roles, various metabolic enzymes and metabolites harbor non-canonical ("moonlighting") functions to support malignant transformation. In this article, we intend to review the current understanding of moonlighting functions of metabolic enzymes and related metabolites broadly existing in cancer cells by dissecting each major metabolic pathway and its regulation of cellular behaviors. Understanding these non-canonical functions may broaden the horizon of the cancer metabolism field and uncover novel therapeutic vulnerabilities in cancer.
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