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. 2021 Jun 10;22(12):6262. doi: 10.3390/ijms22126262

Figure 5.

Figure 5

The Warburg effect (aerobic glycolysis) and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHO) in cancer cells. (a) Due to the different localization of cancer cells and consequently different oxygen gradient and supply, glucose can be either converted to lactate or to CO2 through TCA and electron chain transport (TCA cycle, ETC), producing energy in the form of ATP as 2 ATPs and 32–36 ATPs, respectively. (b) Metabolic crosstalk between cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblast (CAFs). Lactate produced in CAFs is transported to the cancer cells via MCT-4 and MCT-1 transporters. In cancer cells, lactate is converted into pyruvate, which is coupled further to the TCA cycle. In addition, increased expression of FASN in CAFs leads to an enhanced level of fatty acids transported into cancer cells through CD36 and used for lipid synthesis, causing increased lipid droplet (LD) formation. Glutamine produced in CAFs affects TCA cycle in cancer cells, while ammonia from cancer cells influences the function of CAFs.