Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is a very complex and heterogeneous disease. Cancer heterogeneity is dictated by the variable microenvironment and hybrid population of cell types with distinct gene expression and metabolic profiles, as well as distinct proliferative, angiogenic, and metastatic potential. Data obtained over the last several years with the use of experimental, bioinformatics, and computer/mathematical modeling approaches are increasingly evidencing that cancer cells do not fully rely on anaerobic glycolysis as a source of energy and metabolites. Instead, they can preserve oxidative metabolism and there can be multiple switches between glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). This depends on microenvironmental factors, clinicopathological characteristics, and the degree of vascularization.

The metabolic plasticity of cancer cells requires the involvement of numerous genes, oncogenes and tumor suppressors, transcription factors, cell signaling pathways, and oxygen/energy/nutrient sensors. The activities of these protein factors are maintained at the levels of gene expression, post-translational modification, the ubiquitin-proteasomal pathway, and the autophagy-lysosomal degradation pathway. Different stress conditions are key factors imposed on proliferating tumor cells to trigger their malignant transformation. Prolonged hypoxia and dysregulated redox landscape are among these stress factors, and cancer cells can tolerate them at both transcriptional and post-translational levels to overcome or escape antitumor immune surveillance and to avoid cellular senescence and apoptosis. Hypoxia and nutrient starvation can lead to the increased flux of reactive oxidants that cause the oxidative damage of biomolecules and impaired cellular proteostasis. Various types of reactive oxidants can affect the activities of transcription factors, cell signaling pathways, and protein degradation pathways to trigger cancer progression and metastasis.

This special issue of Metabolites will publish original articles and reviews focused on recent advancements in the field covering cancer metabolism and altered redox landscape. This includes metabolic reprogramming; oxidative phosphorylation; mitochondrial metabolism; cell signaling; protein turnover including biosynthesis, post-translational modification, and degradation; amino acid metabolism; dysregulated redox homeostasis; endoplasmic reticulum stress; genomic, epigenomic, and transcriptomic regulation; and other related topics.

Dr. Nurbubu T. Moldogazieva
Guest Editor

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• Cancer metabolism
• Metabolic reprogramming
• Mitochondria
• Cell signaling
• Protein turnover
• Redox homeostasis
• Tumor microenvironment