Increasing evidence implicates metabolic pathways as key regulators of cell fate and function. Although the metabolism of glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids is essential to maintain overall energy homeostasis, the choice of a given metabolic pathway and the levels of particular substrates and intermediates increasingly appear to modulate specific cellular activities. This connection is likely related to the growing appreciation that molecules such as acetyl-CoA act as a shared currency between metabolic flux and chromatin modification. We review recent evidence for a role of metabolism in modulating cellular function in four distinct contexts. These areas include the immune system, the tumor microenvironment, the fibrotic response, and stem cell function. Together, these examples suggest that metabolic pathways do not simply provide the fuel that powers cellular activities but instead help to shape and determine cellular identity.

中文翻译：

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细胞命运和功能的代谢调节。


越来越多的证据表明代谢途径是细胞命运和功能的关键调节因子。尽管葡萄糖、氨基酸和脂肪酸的代谢对于维持总体能量稳态至关重要，但给定代谢途径的选择以及特定底物和中间体的水平似乎越来越多地调节特定的细胞活动。这种联系可能与人们日益认识到乙酰辅酶A等分子作为代谢流和染色质修饰之间的共享货币有关。我们回顾了新陈代谢在四种不同背景下调节细胞功能的作用的最新证据。这些领域包括免疫系统、肿瘤微环境、纤维化反应和干细胞功能。总之，这些例子表明代谢途径不仅仅提供为细胞活动提供动力的燃料，而且还有助于塑造和确定细胞身份。