Figure 3.

NK cell metabolism. (A) Key regulators of NK cells metabolism. Activated NK cells are characterized by increased glucose uptake and OXPHOS. mTORC1 is the key factor, controlling NK cell metabolism by upregulation of NK cells’ glycolysis and OXPHOS. mTORC1 is also involved in activation of cMYC and SREBP, which may further modulate glycolysis and OXPHOS. (B) Mechanisms disrupting NK cell metabolism in cancer. Many factors within the tumor microenvironment, can directly impact rates of glycolysis and OXPHOS by interfering with mTORC1, cMYC, or FBP1 activity. Moreover, mitochondrial dysfunction through ROS accumulation can be induced by intracellular lactate accumulation.