Metabolism in the tumor microenvironment: insights from single-cell analysis

Oncoimmunology. 2020 Feb 9;9(1):1726556. doi: 10.1080/2162402X.2020.1726556. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

The metabolism of both cancer and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is poorly understood since most studies have focused on analysis in bulk samples and ex vivo cell culture models. Our recent analyses of single-cell RNA sequencing data suggest that the metabolic features of single cells within TME differ greatly from those of the bulk measurements. Here, we discuss some key findings about metabolism in cancer and immune cells and discuss possible relevance to immunotherapy.

Keywords: Cancer metabolism; immunometabolism; single-cell RNA sequencing; tumor microenvironment.

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy
  • Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA
  • Single-Cell Analysis*
  • Tumor Microenvironment