A new role for ammonia in tumorigenesis?

Tumor-supporting roles of ammonia have gained greater appreciation in recent years and normally focus on ammonia's role as a nitrogen source. Recently in Nature Metabolism, Cheng et al. (2022) demonstrate a novel, non-nitrogen, metabolism-related role of ammonia as a key activator for lipogenesis by facilitating SREBP-1 activation.

Automated summary

The tumor-supporting roles of ammonia have been recognized in recent years, primarily focusing on its role as a nitrogen source. However, a recent study published in Nature Metabolism reveals a novel non-nitrogen metabolism-related function of ammonia. The study shows that ammonia serves as a key activator for lipogenesis by facilitating SREBP-1 activation.