Metabolic crosstalk between the tumour and the host
Karen Vousden
Francis Crick Institute, UK
The environment in which a cancer develops has a significant impact on the success of malignant progression and determines the requirements and vulnerabilities of the tumour, particularly as the environment changes during metastatic dissemination. Our work has explored the impact on diet on cancer growth, focusing on the response to serine and glycine depletion. We have also been investigating the how metabolic changes and increased ROS in cancer cells drive both cell intrinsic and cell extrinsic effects to promote tumour-supporting alterations in the tumour microenvironment. We find that cancer associated stromal cells can provide nutrients to support tumour cell growth, while tumour-derived signals enhance supportive activities of surrounding normal cells. Understanding and modulating the crosstalk between the tumour and the body may lead to new therapeutic options.