Regulation of Autophagy via Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism in Cancer

Cancers (Basel). 2023 Apr 7;15(8):2195. doi: 10.3390/cancers15082195.

Abstract

Metabolic changes are an important component of tumor cell progression. Tumor cells adapt to environmental stresses via changes to carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Autophagy, a physiological process in mammalian cells that digests damaged organelles and misfolded proteins via lysosomal degradation, is closely associated with metabolism in mammalian cells, acting as a meter of cellular ATP levels. In this review, we discuss the changes in glycolytic and lipid biosynthetic pathways in mammalian cells and their impact on carcinogenesis via the autophagy pathway. In addition, we discuss the impact of these metabolic pathways on autophagy in lung cancer.

Keywords: Bcl2 family protein; Warburg effect; ceramide metabolism; glycolysis; mitophagy; non-small cell lung carcinoma.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

S.G., B.K., N.A. and M.M. are supported by the CancerCare Manitoba Operating grant (763117252) funded by CancerCare Manitoba Foundation. J.A. is supported by a Vanier CIHR Ph.D. studentship. Navjit Singh was supported by the Max Rady College of Medicine’s BSc (Med) program.