Folate metabolism functions to supply one-carbon units that are vital for a range of biochemical reactions. Cancer cells can utilise serine as a major source of one-carbon units, rendering them dependent upon extracellular serine uptake or de novo serine synthesis for maximal growth and proliferation. One-carbon units are required for the production of critical cellular components, such as nucleotides, which enable cancer cells to maintain high proliferate rates. Of recent interest, one-carbon metabolism contributes to the biosynthesis and recycling of functional metabolites, such as ATP, S-adenosyl-methionine (SAM), and NAD(P)H, with important downstream consequences for cancer cell survival. In this review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of the importance of one-carbon metabolism in cancer, focussing upon the routes through which cancer cells obtain and use one-carbon units.

叶酸代谢的作用是提供对一系列生化反应至关重要的单碳单位。癌细胞可以利用丝氨酸作为一碳单位的主要来源，使它们依赖于细胞外丝氨酸摄取或从头丝氨酸合成来实现最大生长和增殖。一碳单位是生产关键细胞成分（例如核苷酸）所必需的，这些成分使癌细胞能够维持高增殖率。最近引起关注的是，一碳代谢有助于功能代谢物的生物合成和循环利用，例如 ATP、 S-腺苷甲硫氨酸 (SAM) 和 NAD(P)H，对癌细胞的存活具有重要的下游影响。在这篇综述中，我们描述了我们对一碳代谢在癌症中的重要性的理解的最新进展，重点关注癌细胞获得和使用一碳单位的途径。