Metabolism of Leukemia Cells
Cancer cell metabolism is determined by driver mutations, the environment, and the tissue of origin. We have shown that the requirement of leukemia cells for pyruvate oxidation is determined by the metabolism of the progenitor cell of origin. Pyruvate oxidation is required in double positive thymocytes and in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells, but not in HSCs, myeloid progenitors, other hematopoietic cells, or myeloid leukemia cells. We are working to understand the cell type specificity of central carbon metabolism. More broadly, we aim to uncover leukemia-specific metabolic requirements.
