One-carbon metabolism (1C-metabolism), also called folate metabolism because the carbon group is attached to folate-derived tetrahydrofolate, is crucial in metabolism. It is at the heart of several essential syntheses, particularly those of purine and thymidylate. After a short reminder of the organization of 1C-metabolism, I list its salient features as reported in the literature. Then, using flux balance analysis, a core model of central metabolism and the flux constraints for an ‘average cancer cell metabolism’, I explore the fundamentals underlying 1C-metabolism and its relationships with the rest of metabolism. Some unreported properties of 1C-metabolism emerge, such as its potential roles in mitochondrial NADH exchange with cytosolic NADPH, participation in NADH recycling, and optimization of cell proliferation.
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February 2021
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On the implications of the copper co-factor in lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase. A brief overview of structure, oxygen activation and application as bioindustrial process tools for decomposition of lignocellulose. Further information can be found in the review by Ipsen and colleagues (pages 531–540). Image provided by Katja Johansen.
Review Article|
February 22 2021
One-carbon metabolism in cancer cells: a critical review based on a core model of central metabolism
Jean-Pierre Mazat
IBGC CNRS UMR 5095 and Université de Bordeaux, 1, rue Camille Saint-Saëns, 33077 BORDEAUX-cedex, France
Correspondence: Jean-Pierre Mazat (jean-pierre.mazat@u-bordeaux.fr)
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Biochem Soc Trans (2021) 49 (1): 1–15.
Article history
Received:
November 22 2020
Revision Received:
January 19 2021
Accepted:
January 26 2021
Citation
Jean-Pierre Mazat; One-carbon metabolism in cancer cells: a critical review based on a core model of central metabolism. Biochem Soc Trans 26 February 2021; 49 (1): 1–15. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20190008
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