Figure 2.

Reprogramming of fatty acid metabolism. In ccRCC, lipid metabolism is altered and characterized by increased synthesis, enhanced utilization, and decreased oxidation to meet the metabolic demands of cancer cells. Renal clear cells upregulate VLDLR and SR-B1 to promote cholesterol uptake, followed by upregulation of ACAT, which converts pure cholesterol into cholesteryl esters; downregulation of CPT1A, a key enzyme in fatty acid β-oxidation, which reduces fatty acid consumption; and upregulation of FASN, which promotes fatty acid synthesis. All of these contribute to the accumulation of lipids in cancer cells.