Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2025

A Proximal Culture Method to Study Paracrine Signaling Between Cells
Published on: August 28, 2018
Oncometabolites-A Link between Cancer Cells and Tumor Microenvironment
Maksymilian Baryła1, Aleksandra Semeniuk-Wojtaś1, Letycja Róg1
1Department of Oncology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland.
Oncometabolites, like lactate and glutamate, are metabolic byproducts that fuel tumor growth and spread. Targeting these molecules could offer new cancer treatment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Metabolic pathways
- Tumor microenvironment
Background:
- The tumor microenvironment (TME) comprises extracellular matrix, blood vessels, immune cells, and fibroblasts.
- These components interact, supporting cancer cell survival and progression.
- Oncometabolites, or dysregulated metabolites, are implicated in cell communication and cancer growth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe metabolic pathway alterations leading to oncometabolite accumulation.
- To elucidate the impact of oncometabolites on the TME.
- To highlight the role of oncometabolites in cancer progression and therapeutic targeting.
Main Methods:
- Review of metabolic pathways.
- Analysis of oncometabolite accumulation (lactate, glutamate, fumarate, succinate).
- Assessment of oncometabolite impact on TME components and cancer progression.
Main Results:
- Oncometabolites link various cells within the TME, promoting tumor survival.
- Key oncometabolites significantly influence neoangiogenesis and immune cell infiltration.
- Oncometabolites disrupt DNA damage response, enhancing cell migration and TME supportiveness.
Conclusions:
- Oncometabolites are crucial mediators in the TME, not merely waste products.
- Understanding oncometabolites aids in identifying therapeutic targets and their direct effects on TME formation.
- Targeting oncometabolites presents a promising novel strategy for cancer treatment.
More Related Videos
07:44Studying the Effects of Tumor-Secreted Paracrine Ligands on Macrophage Activation using Co-Culture with Permeable Membrane Supports
Published on: November 28, 2019
10:59Conditional Knockdown of Gene Expression in Cancer Cell Lines to Study the Recruitment of Monocytes/Macrophages to the Tumor Microenvironment
Published on: November 23, 2017
Related Concept Videos
The Tumor Microenvironment
Metastasis
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Tumor Immunotherapy
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...