Figure 3.

Schematic representation of fatty acid metabolism in cancer cells. Glucose-derived pyruvate enters the mitochondria to form citrate, which then moves to the cytoplasm and contributes to the de novo synthesis of fatty acids. Acetate is also another source of lipogenesis. When cellular fatty acids are in excess, the fatty acids absorbed through CD36 are converted into lipid droplets and are made available when needed. Acetate also provides reducing equivalents, such as NADH and FADH2 through β-oxidation. Finally, ATP is generated from the ETC. Abbreviations: ACSS: acetyl-CoA synthetase; ACLY: ATP citrate lyase; ACC: acetyl-CoA carboxylase; FASN: fatty acid synthase; SCD: stearoyl-CoA desaturase; FAs: fatty acids; CPT1: carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1; ETC: electron transport chain. Akt: protein kinase B; AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; PTEN: phosphate and tension homolog; SREBP1: sterol regulatory element-binding proteins.