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Review
. 2016 May 24;18(1):55.
doi: 10.1186/s13058-016-0712-6.

Cancer stem cell metabolism

Maria Peiris-Pagès  1   2 , Ubaldo E Martinez-Outschoorn  3 , Richard G Pestell  3 , Federica Sotgia  4   5 , Michael P Lisanti  6   7
Affiliations
Review

Cancer stem cell metabolism

Maria Peiris-Pagès et al. Breast Cancer Res. .

Abstract

Cancer is now viewed as a stem cell disease. There is still no consensus on the metabolic characteristics of cancer stem cells, with several studies indicating that they are mainly glycolytic and others pointing instead to mitochondrial metabolism as their principal source of energy. Cancer stem cells also seem to adapt their metabolism to microenvironmental changes by conveniently shifting energy production from one pathway to another, or by acquiring intermediate metabolic phenotypes. Determining the role of cancer stem cell metabolism in carcinogenesis has become a major focus in cancer research, and substantial efforts are conducted towards discovering clinical targets.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Potential impact of strategies that target cancer stem cells (CSCs) on the effectiveness of cancer treatment. Conventional cancer therapies result in a transient reduction of the tumour by killing non-stem cancer cells whilst failing to eliminate CSCs. Two major obstacles are limiting success in these cancer therapies: the ability of CSCs to survive cytotoxic treatments, and their potential to form metastases. The use of CSC specific inhibitors would reduce their therapy resistance and reduce relapse, and would prevent their spread, as the loss of stem cell properties reduces invasiveness and the capacity of disseminated cells to initiate distant secondary colonies
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Bioenergetic pathways underlying CSC metabolism. In more differentiated cancer cells, the glycolytic phenotype might predominate over oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). CSCs instead might rely more on an oxidative metabolism for their energy production. CSCs also appear to be metabolically plastic: when OXPHOS is blocked they can eventually develop resistance by acquiring an intermediate glycolytic/oxidative phenotype. ROS reactive oxygen species, TCA tricarboxylic acid
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