Cracking the Cancer Code: Deciphering Metabolic Language.

Researchers have identified a new binding partner of lactate, a molecule formed by the metabolism of glucose, which is made in high amounts by tumours and oxygen-deprived tissues. The study found that lactate aids cell proliferation by inhibiting a type of enzyme involved in cell-cycle regulation. The discovery sheds light on how cells link nutrient metabolism to the decision to divide and provides insight into the metabolic language of cancer.