Targeting tumour cells at the entrance

Metabolism in tumour cells is adapted to the demands of a growing cell. The Warburg effect and increased use of glutamine are two well-known adaptations of tumour metabolism. Both require transporters to allow uptake of substrates and efflux of products. Differentiated cells are less reliant on these pathways and as a result are less vulnerable to drugs that curtail nutrient uptake. Thus drugs that reduce nutrient uptake are promising candidates for tumour therapy. Detailed understanding of tumour cell biology will allow the generation of new chemotherapeutic drugs with limited side effects. In this issue of the Biochemical Journal, Romero Rosales et al. have identified the mechanism by which the sphingolipid analogue FTY720 inhibits tumour growth.