Stem cells tightly link their metabolism to cell fate decisions; however, how cancers co-opt and bypass metabolic pathways for growth advantage remains unclear. New evidence in this issue highlights how cancer stem cells avoid epigenetically driven differentiation by shutting down endogenous serine synthesis and becoming serine auxotrophs.
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Haensel, D., Oro, A.E. Starve a cold, and perhaps a cancer. Nat Cell Biol 22, 755–757 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-020-0543-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-020-0543-7