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. 2021 Sep 4;12(9):835. doi: 10.1038/s41419-021-04116-6

Fig. 3. Flow diagram of quiescent CSCs initiation and their metabolic reprogramming.

Fig. 3

Quiescent CSCs are induced and maintained by different TME components, including a hypoxic tumor environment, laminins, and matrix stiffness of the ECM and CAFs. Quiescent CSCs can reprogram their metabolism to flexibly adapt to environmental changes, which is considered crucial for them to enhance the antioxidant compensative capacity and induce chemotherapy resistance. And it is a promising strategy of making them susceptive to chemotherapies through inhibition of their metabolic flexibility.