The integration of metabolism and cell death

Abstract

Metabolism is a fundamental cellular process necessary for energy production and biosynthesis. While the biochemistry of basic metabolic pathways has been known for some time, how the metabolic state of a cell regulates fate decisions has remained poorly understood. In recent years, cellular metabolism has been shown to play an integral role in the regulation of apoptosis, in particular via interaction with the Bcl-2 family of proteins. This chapter focuses on the inherent relationships between metabolism and apoptosis, as well as several more intricate mechanisms of how apoptotic and metabolic machinery interact to determine cell fate under a variety of conditions, including a potential for the metabolic regulation of apoptosis in cancer.