Insights into Metabolic Logic and Oxidative Stress in Cancer Using C. elegans
Main Article Content
Adina Fazyl
Center for Life Sciences, National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University; Astana, 010000 Kazakhstan.
adina.fazyl@nu.edu.kz
Assiya Kukanova
Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Humanities, Nazarbayev University; Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan.
Department of Oncology, Astana Medical University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan.
kukanova.a@amu.kz
Danysh Abetov
Center for Life Sciences, National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University; Astana, 010000 Kazakhstan.
danysh.abetov@nu.edu.kz
Galiya Akylzhanova
Center for Life Sciences, National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University; Astana, 010000 Kazakhstan.
galiya.akylzhanova@nu.edu.kz
Dos Sarbassov
Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Humanities, Nazarbayev University; Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan.
Center for Life Sciences, National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University; Astana, 010000 Kazakhstan.
dos.sarbassov@nu.edu.kz
Dinara Begimbetova
Center for Life Sciences, National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University; Astana, 010000 Kazakhstan.
dinara.begimbetova@nu.edu.kzAbstract
This review examine the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a powerful model for cancer research, moving beyond its well-established utility in dissecting conserved genetic pathways. Its true strength may lie in modeling the intricate interplay between dysregulated metabolism and oxidative stress. This review first discusses how C. elegans provides a whole-organism system to study the causal links between metabolic overload, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the activation of conserved detoxification pathways. The discussion then shifts to the Warburg effect, presenting the worm's unique rhodoquinone-dependent anaerobic metabolism as an evolutionary control experiment that offers a non-canonical framework for understanding the functional roles of lactate in the tumor microenvironment. Finally, this review examines the cell nucleus as an active sensor of stress, discussing how oxidative stress triggers the structural reorganization, from global chromatin remodeling to the formation of stress-induced biomolecular condensates. It is concluded that C. elegans offers an excellent platform to progress from studying isolated cancer-related pathways toward an integrated understanding of the metabolic and environmental stress that drives tumorigenesis.
Article Details
Accepted 2025-10-20
Published 2025-10-27
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