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Cellular metabolism of tumor‐associated macrophages – functional impact and consequences
Author(s) -
Rabold Katrin,
Netea Mihai G.,
Adema Gosse J.,
NeteaMaier Romana T.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1002/1873-3468.12771
Subject(s) - tumor microenvironment , immune system , biology , macrophage , context (archaeology) , innate immune system , cell metabolism , cancer , phenotype , angiogenesis , cancer cell , immunology , function (biology) , microbiology and biotechnology , cancer research , cell , in vitro , biochemistry , genetics , gene , paleontology
Macrophages are innate immune cells that play a role not only in host defense against infections, but also in the pathophysiology of autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders, as well as cancer. An important feature of macrophages is their high plasticity, with high ability to adapt to environmental changes by adjusting their cellular metabolism and immunological phenotype. Macrophages are one of the most abundant innate immune cells within the tumor microenvironment that have been associated with tumor growth, metastasis, angiogenesis and poor prognosis. In the context of cancer, however, so far little is known about metabolic changes in macrophages, which have been shown to determine functional fate of the cells in other diseases. Here, we review the current knowledge regarding the cellular metabolism of tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) and discuss its implications for cell function. Understanding the regulation of the cellular metabolism of TAMs may reveal novel therapeutic targets for treatment of malignancies.