Figure 2.
Tumor microenvironment (TME) and salvaging processes promote amino acid metabolism reprogramming in PDAC. In the hypoxic and nutrient-limiting pancreatic microenvironment, the interactions between cancer cells and stromal components including pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), cancer stem cells (CSCs), adipocytes and collagen strikingly influence PDAC amino acid metabolism. Autophagy and macropinocytosis also play critical roles in recycling and scavenging nutrients to fuel metabolic requirements (AA0 means neutral amino acids).