OAA is not an enzyme or protein but a key metabolic intermediate. OAA plays a central role in multiple metabolic pathways, including the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and gluconeogenesis, rather than being “expressed” in the traditional sense.
-OAA is an intermediate in the TCA cycle (citric acid cycle), which is crucial for energy production in cells.
-It also serves as a substrate for gluconeogenesis (conversion into phosphoenolpyruvate by PEPCK) and amino acid biosynthesis.
-Because of its central metabolic position, changes in OAA availability can affect the balance between oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis—a balance that is often disrupted in cancer cells (the Warburg effect).
-Upregulation of pyruvate carboxylase (which converts pyruvate to OAA) has been associated with aggressive tumor behavior in certain cancers (e.g., lung and breast cancers).
-Similarly, altered malate dehydrogenase activity, which interconverts malate and OAA, has also been linked to metabolic shifts in cancer cells that correlate with prognosis.
-These associations are often interpreted as markers of metabolic reprogramming rather than direct “OAA expression.”
-Altered activities of enzymes that govern OAA production or utilization are associated with aggressive tumor phenotypes, making them of interest both as potential prognostic biomarkers and as therapeutic targets.
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