Nutrient supply and demand delineate cell behavior in health and disease. Mammalian cells have developed multiple strategies to secure the necessary nutrients that fuel their metabolic needs. This is more evident upon disruption of homeostasis in conditions such as cancer, when cells display high proliferation rates in energetically challenging conditions where nutritional sources may be scarce. Here, we summarize the main routes of nutrient acquisition that fuel mammalian cells and their implications in tumorigenesis. We argue that the molecular mechanisms of nutrient acquisition not only tip the balance between nutrient supply and demand but also determine cell behavior upon nutrient limitation and energetic stress and contribute to nutrient partitioning and metabolic coordination between different cell types in inflamed or tumorigenic environments.

营养供给和需求描绘了健康和疾病中的细胞行为。哺乳动物细胞已经开发出多种策略来确保满足其代谢需求所需的营养物质。在癌症等情况下，当细胞在营养来源可能稀缺的充满活力的挑战性条件下表现出高增殖率时，这种情况在体内平衡被破坏时更加明显。在这里，我们总结了为哺乳动物细胞提供能量的营养获取的主要途径及其在肿瘤发生中的影响。我们认为，营养获取的分子机制不仅决定营养供给和需求之间的平衡，而且还决定细胞在营养限制和能量应激下的行为，并有助于炎症或致瘤环境中不同细胞类型之间的营养分配和代谢协调。