Metabolic programming and immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment

Cancer Cell. 2023 Mar 13;41(3):421-433. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2023.01.009.

Emily N Arner ¹, Jeffrey C Rathmell ²

Affiliations

1 Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, USA.
2 Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 36801000 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2023.01.009

Abstract

Increased glucose metabolism and uptake are characteristic of many tumors and used clinically to diagnose and monitor Cancer progression. In addition to Cancer cells, the tumor microenvironment (TME) encompasses a wide range of stromal, innate, and adaptive immune cells. Cooperation and competition between these cell populations supports tumor proliferation, progression, metastasis, and immune evasion. Cellular heterogeneity leads to metabolic heterogeneity because metabolic programs within the tumor are dependent not only on the TME cellular composition but also on cell states, location, and nutrient availability. In addition to driving metabolic plasticity of Cancer cells, altered nutrients and signals in the TME can lead to metabolic immune suppression of effector cells and promote regulatory immune cells. Here we discuss how metabolic programming of cells within the TME promotes tumor proliferation, progression, and metastasis. We also discuss how targeting metabolic heterogeneity may offer therapeutic opportunities to overcome immune suppression and augment immunotherapies.

Keywords

immune; metabolism; metastasis; plasticity; tumor microenvironment.

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