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REVIEW article

Front. Oncol.

Sec. Cancer Metabolism

Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1665056

Crosstalk between dysregulated amino acid sensing and glucose and lipid metabolism in colorectal cancer

Provisionally accepted
Danning  WangDanning Wang1Shaomin  ZouShaomin Zou1Junkang  DingJunkang Ding1Chang  GaoChang Gao1Jianwei  WangJianwei Wang1,2*Zhe  TangZhe Tang1,2*
  • 1The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, International School of Medicine, International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, China
  • 2Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Cancer cells reprogram the metabolism of glucose, lipids, and proteins (amino acids) to meet their energy needs during tumor initiation and progression. Amino acid sensing pathways play rucial roles in the progression and spread of colorectal cancer (CRC), but the crosstalk between these pathways and glucose and lipid metabolism has not been systematically elucidated. We summarize the roles of key amino acids in CRC, the corresponding nutrient sensors, the associated dysregulated signaling pathways, and their subcellular localization. Furthermore, we highlight how disrupted amino acid sensing forms an integrated regulatory network that modulates glucose and lipid metabolism through multiple signaling cascades. These insights reveal both opportunities for clinical translation and unresolved challenges in the field. We believe that this comprehensive review will stimulate further research in this emerging area and draw significant attention from both the scientific community and broader audiences. This review aims to identify new diagnostic markers, therapeutic targets, and prognostic indicators by enhancing the understanding of nutrient metabolic pathway interactions.

Keywords: colorectal cancer, Amino acid sensing, metabolic reprogramming, glucose metabolism, Lipid Metabolism, mTORC1 signaling

Received: 13 Jul 2025; Accepted: 05 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Zou, Ding, Gao, Wang and Tang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Jianwei Wang, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, International School of Medicine, International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, China
Zhe Tang, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, International School of Medicine, International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, China

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