Cells in solid tumours experience various fluctuations in their microenvironment, including changes in the availability of oxygen. Celeste Simon and colleagues have found that, under hypoxic conditions, tumour cells in which mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) is constitutively active are dependent on exogenous desaturated lipids to maintain cell survival. Thus, targeting lipid metabolism could be a useful therapy in solid tumours in which mTORC1 is deregulated.
References
Young, R. M. et al. Dysregulated mTORC1 renders cells critically dependent on desaturated lipids for survival under tumor-like stress. Genes Dev. 23 May 2013 (10.1101/gad.198630.112)
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McCarthy, N. Desaturated lipids required for survival. Nat Rev Cancer 13, 441 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3555
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3555
