Amino Acid Metabolism Shapes The Tumor Immune Microenvironment And Therapy Response

The tumor microenvironment is not conscionable a tract of crab growth—it is simply a high-stakes metabolic title wherever tumor and immune cells vie for constricted resources. Amino acids, erstwhile seen arsenic passive nutrients, are now known to steer compartment fate, immune suppression, and guidance to immunotherapy. Tumors often triumph this conflict by monopolizing amino acids, crippling nan metabolism of adjacent T cells and macrophages. Recent advances person illuminated really this biochemical imbalance hinders immune surveillance and fosters tumor progression. Due to these challenges, location is simply a increasing urgency to research really amino acerb dynamics power crab immunity and place caller therapeutic targets wrong this hidden battleground.

In a caller reappraisal (DOI: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2025.0115) published successful Cancer Biology & Medicine, scientists from Tongji University Cancer Center explored really amino acerb metabolism governs nan intricate speech betwixt crab cells and immune defenses. The insubstantial charts a broad representation of really amino acerb sensing, transport, and utilization style tumor behaviour and immune compartment function. It besides highlights pioneering therapies—from CAR-T compartment enhancements to microbial-based interventions—that rewire nan tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and connection caller dream successful nan conflict against cancer.

Tumor cells and immune cells are locked successful a biochemical tug-of-war complete amino acids. The reappraisal uncovers really tumors utilization this metabolic dependency to substance their maturation while sabotaging immune responses. Glutamine feeds tumor proliferation but its depletion cripples T cells. Arginine, basal for T compartment activation, is often depleted successful nan TIME by tumor-associated macrophages expressing arginase. Tryptophan is converted by tumor enzymes into kynurenine, suppressing T cells via nan AhR pathway. Methionine, captious for DNA methylation, is hoarded by crab cells, disrupting T compartment epigenetic programming.

Beyond nutrient supply, amino acids enactment arsenic molecular messengers. Sensors specified arsenic mTOR, AMPK, and AhR decode amino acerb levels, triggering endurance and immune evasion pathways. Newly discovered sensors for illustration TARS2 and HDAC6 unfastened doors to uncharted therapeutic targets. The reappraisal further highlights experimental interventions—from enzyme inhibitors and amino acid-loaded nanoparticles to diet-based and microbiota-driven strategies—that selectively reprogram metabolism to favour immune activation. These findings link molecular pathways to real-world treatments, positioning amino acerb metabolism arsenic a powerful lever successful crab therapy.

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Journal reference:

Lin, Z., et al. (2025). Amino acids style nan metabolic and immunologic scenery successful nan tumor immune microenvironment: from molecular mechanisms to therapeutic strategies. Cancer Biology & Medicine. doi.org/10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2025.0115.