Hubbing the Cancer Cell

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Cancer originates from changes in the genetics of single cells that affect their proliferative rate. To cope with the increased demand of building blocks and energy, tumor cells undergo adaptive changes creating new cellular homeostasis. These newly acquired traits are used clinically as diagnostic markers. Here, we summarize our knowledge of how a cell can adjust to new energetic demands during the transformation into a tumor cell. ABSTRACT: Oncogenic transformation drives adaptive changes in a growing tumor that affect the cellular organization of cancerous cells, resulting in the loss of specialized cellular functions in the polarized compartmentalization of cells. The resulting altered metabolic and morphological patterns are used clinically as diagnostic markers. This review recapitulates the known functions of actin, microtubules and the γ-tubulin meshwork in orchestrating cell metabolism and functional cellular asymmetry.