Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41769003›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in cell and developmental biology2026

BCAAs and related metabolic enzymes: partners in crime driving tumor development.

Binfan He, Lingxi Li, Ye Liu, Mengmeng Hao, Ling Zhang, Rongzhang He

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Binfan He *School of Basic Medicine, Institute for Pathogenesis and Clinical Translational Research of Esophageal Cancer, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
Lingxi Li *Translational Medicine Institute, The First People's Hospital of Chenzhou, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Chenzhou, China.
Ye LiuTranslational Medicine Institute, The First People's Hospital of Chenzhou, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Chenzhou, China.
Mengmeng HaoDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, Qinghai University Medical College, Xining, Qinghai, China.
Ling ZhangSchool of Basic Medicine, Institute for Pathogenesis and Clinical Translational Research of Esophageal Cancer, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
Rongzhang HeTranslational Medicine Institute, The First People's Hospital of Chenzhou, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Chenzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Metabolic reprogramming of Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)-leucine, isoleucine, and valine-has emerged as a constitutive feature of cancer, extending far beyond their canonical roles in protein synthesis and energy provision. In malignancy, these essential amino acids function as pivotal signaling mediators and epigenetic modulators, thereby propelling tumor progression, facilitating immune evasion, and conferring resistance to therapeutic agents. This review delineates how cancer cells subvert branched-chain amino acid metabolism to fuel anabolic processes, activate oncogenic signaling cascades including mTOR and PI3K/AKT, and remodel the tumor microenvironment. A framework is presented to categorize the differential reliance of various cancers on key catabolic enzymes-BCAT1, BCAT2 and BCKDK-underscoring their therapeutic vulnerability. The paradoxical role of BCAAs in modulating anti-tumor immunity is examined alongside the potential of dietary modulation and the development of pharmacological inhibitors targeting this pathway. Concluding perspectives highlight the trajectory for translating these insights into precision oncology, advocating for biomarker-guided and context-specific therapeutic strategies.

Indexed as

BCAAsdietary therapyimmunitymetabolismtargeted inhibitors

Identifiers

PMID41769003
PMCPMC12946068

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.