Cellular metabolic and stress-response pathways

Cellular metabolic and stress-response pathways represent a complex network of biochemical reactions and signaling cascades that maintain cellular homeostasis in response to internal and external stimuli. These pathways include energy metabolism processes such as glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, as well as nutrient-sensing systems like the mTOR and AMPK signaling pathways (Hardie et al., 2012, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology). Stress-response mechanisms, such as the Integrated Stress Response (ISR), allow cells to adapt to adverse conditions including hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, and protein misfolding (Costa-Mattioli & Walter, 2020, Science). In various diseases, these pathways are often dysregulated; for example, cancer cells frequently undergo metabolic reprogramming to support rapid proliferation, while neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the failure of proteostatic stress responses. Because this term describes a broad biological category rather than a specific protein, enzyme, or receptor, it is not considered a single therapeutic target in drug discovery. Instead, pharmacological intervention typically focuses on specific molecular nodes within these pathways to achieve therapeutic selectivity. Consequently, while these pathways are central to human pathology, the term itself is too broad for precise drug-target classification.

Other names

Metabolic and stress response networkCellular homeostasis pathwaysIntegrated stress responseMetabolic signaling

Not applicable as this represents a broad biological system rather than a single molecular target.