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Updated: Jul 1, 2025

Reverse Yeast Two-hybrid System to Identify Mammalian Nuclear Receptor Residues that Interact with Ligands and/or Antagonists
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Reverse Yeast Two-hybrid System to Identify Mammalian Nuclear Receptor Residues that Interact with Ligands and/or Antagonists

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The potential of aryl hydrocarbon receptor as receptors for metabolic changes in tumors

Zhiying Wang1, Yuanqi Zhang2, Zhihong Liao1

  • 1Laboratory of Vascular Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China.

Frontiers in Oncology
|March 4, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Cancer cells reprogram metabolism in the tumor microenvironment (TME). The Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) links TME metabolic changes to cancer growth, metastasis, and therapy resistance, offering new therapeutic targets.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Metabolism

Background:

  • Cancer cells exhibit metabolic reprogramming to adapt to nutrient-deficient and hypoxic tumor microenvironments (TME).
  • The Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor, is implicated in cancer regulation.
  • AhR ligands are produced by both tumor and TME cells, suggesting a role in cancer progression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the interplay between the TME and cancer metabolism.
  • To elucidate the role of AhR in regulating cancer metabolic reprogramming.
  • To explore AhR as a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on cancer metabolism and AhR signaling.
  • Analysis of studies investigating AhR's influence on metabolic pathways in cancer.
  • Synthesis of current findings on AhR's role in tumor growth, metastasis, and therapy evasion.

Main Results:

  • AhR activation by TME-derived ligands dysregulates key metabolic pathways like glycolysis, lipid, and nucleotide metabolism.
  • AhR-mediated metabolic reprogramming significantly contributes to cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and resistance to therapies.
  • Evidence suggests AhR acts as a sensor for metabolic alterations within the tumor microenvironment.

Conclusions:

  • AhR plays a critical role in mediating the effects of metabolic reprogramming in cancer.
  • Understanding AhR's function in tumor metabolism offers novel insights into cancer progression.
  • Targeting AhR presents a promising strategy for future cancer therapeutic interventions.
Keywords:
aryl hydrocarbon receptorcancermetabolic reprogrammingmetabolismtumor microenvironment

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