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Updated: Jun 22, 2025

Exploring the Regulation of Lipid Droplet Catabolism through Lipophagy
Published on: January 31, 2025
Interactions of Fatty Acid and Cholesterol Metabolism with Cellular Stress Response Pathways in Cancer
Alina M Winkelkotte1, Kamal Al-Shami1, Adriano B Chaves-Filho1,2
1Division of Tumor Metabolism and Microenvironment, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
Abstract:
Lipids have essential functions as structural components of cellular membranes, as efficient energy storage molecules, and as precursors of signaling mediators. While deregulated glucose and amino acid metabolism in cancer have received substantial attention, the roles of lipids in the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells are less well understood. However, since the first description of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in cancer tissues almost 70 years ago, numerous studies have investigated the complex functions of altered lipid metabolism in cancer. Here, we will summarize the mechanisms by which oncogenic signaling pathways regulate fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism to drive rapid proliferation and protect cancer cells from environmental stress. The review also discusses the role of fatty acid metabolism in metabolic plasticity required for the adaptation to changing microenvironments during cancer progression and the connections between fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism and ferroptosis.
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