Skip to main content
Fig. 2 | Clinical and Translational Medicine

Fig. 2

From: A holistic view of cancer bioenergetics: mitochondrial function and respiration play fundamental roles in the development and progression of diverse tumors

Fig. 2

Metabolic fuels for tumor cells. Tumor cells are able to use a variety of bioenergetic substrates, including glutamine, glucose, fatty acids (FA), ketone bodies, and acetate (highlighted by red boxes). These substrates can be provided by stromal cells in the microenvironment. Much of the cellular energy for tumor cells is likely generated by TCA cycle coupled to oxidative phosphorylation. The pathways for the generation and metabolism of these substrates are outlined. Notably, glutamine and glucose can also provide building blocks for the synthesis of many biomolecules. Also indicated in pink are the metabolic enzymes whose mutations are found in various tumors and the accumulated oncometabolites in these tumors

Back to article page