The role of serine metabolism in lung cancer: From oncogenesis to tumor treatment

Xijia Zhou; Chang Tian; Yingshu Cao; Min Zhao; Ke Wang

doi:10.3389/fgene.2022.1084609

The role of serine metabolism in lung cancer: From oncogenesis to tumor treatment

Front Genet. 2023 Jan 9:13:1084609. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1084609. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Xijia Zhou¹, Chang Tian¹, Yingshu Cao¹, Min Zhao¹, Ke Wang¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.

Abstract

Metabolic reprogramming is an important hallmark of malignant tumors. Serine is a non-essential amino acid involved in cell proliferation. Serine metabolism, especially the de novo serine synthesis pathway, forms a metabolic network with glycolysis, folate cycle, and one-carbon metabolism, which is essential for rapidly proliferating cells. Owing to the rapid development in metabolomics, abnormal serine metabolism may serve as a biomarker for the early diagnosis and pathological typing of tumors. Targeting serine metabolism also plays an essential role in precision and personalized cancer therapy. This article is a systematic review of de novo serine biosynthesis and the link between serine and folate metabolism in tumorigenesis, particularly in lung cancer. In addition, we discuss the potential of serine metabolism to improve tumor treatment.

Keywords: PHGDH; PSAT1; PSPH; lung cancer; serine metabolism.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Technology Research Funds of Jilin Province (20190303162SF), the Medical and Health Project Funds of Jilin Province (20200708083YY and 2020SCZT019), and the Disciplinary Crossing and Integration and Innovation Cultivation Project of Jilin University (JLUXKJC2020212).