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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Jul 14.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2014 Apr;15(4):243–256. doi: 10.1038/nrm3772

Figure 5. Coordinated regulation of stem cell function by metabolism.

Figure 5

Stem cell equilibrium is bioenergetically and biosynthetically balanced through proper regulation of the flux of pathways that metabolize glucose, Gln and/or fatty acids. Mitochondria in stem cells are relatively inactive and stem cells heavily rely on anaerobic glycolysis30, whereas oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is associated with differentiation, as well as impaired stem cell function. Fatty acid metabolism has recently been identified as a critical factor in the self-renewal of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) through the control it exerts over stem cell fate decisions22. FAO, fatty acid oxidation.