Lake‐Ee Quek

Developmental stage-dependent decoupling of molecular and phenotypic responses to heat in wheat grain

This study shows that heat stress at different developmental stages in wheat causes distinct molecular and phenotypic responses, with stronger effects on grain set and composition at the trinucleate stage.

Pathway metabolite ratios reveal distinctive glutamine metabolism in a subset of proliferating cells

The paper identifies distinct glutamine metabolism in a subset of proliferating cells using pathway-centric metabolomic analysis of cancer and non-cancer cell lines.

A selective inhibitor of oncogenic JNK signalling perturbs metastatic outgrowth of triple-negative breast cancer through metabolic blockade

The paper identifies a selective JNK inhibitor that blocks metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer by targeting metabolic pathways.

CD38 mediates nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) base exchange to yield nicotinic acid mononucleotide (NaMN)

The paper shows CD38 mediates base exchange on NMN to produce NaMN, linking salvage and de novo NAD+ pathways.

Macropinocytosis mediates resistance to loss of glutamine transport in triple-negative breast cancer

The paper shows that TNBC cells compensate for loss of ASCT2 glutamine uptake by increasing macropinocytosis, suggesting resistance to targeting glutamine transport alone.

Cis-vaccenic acid is a key product of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 and a critical oncogenic factor in prostate cancer

This study identifies cis-vaccenic acid as a critical oncogenic factor in prostate cancer, showing it rescues cell viability loss from SCD1 inhibition and promotes growth.

Capacity-Contribution Paradox: Fatty Acid Oxidation Compensates for Low Glucose-Derived Acetyl-CoA in Cancer.

This study reveals that fatty acid oxidation (FAO) in cancer cells primarily compensates for low glucose-derived acetyl-CoA by supporting mitochondrial metabolism through a malic enzyme-dependent shunt, rather than serving as a primary fuel source.