Central carbon metabolism in cancer
Core of basic research: Decipher the molecular regulatory mechanisms of the Warburg effect in tumor cells, explore the reprogramming logic of core carbon metabolic pathways (glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway), and the impact of abnormal expression/mutation of metabolic enzymes (e.g., PKM2, IDH1) on the tumor microenvironment and proliferation, providing targets for the development of metabolic inhibitors.
Core key proteins: HK2 (hexokinase 2, enhances glucose phosphorylation), PKM2 (pyruvate kinase M2, regulates glycolytic product distribution), LDHA (lactate dehydrogenase A, promotes lactate production), GLUT1 (glucose transporter 1, enhances glucose uptake), IDH1/2 (isocitrate dehydrogenase, produces oncogenic metabolites upon mutation), ACL (ATP citrate lyase, promotes fatty acid synthesis).