ABSTRACT
In recent years, the role of ketone body metabolism in tumor growth, invasion and metastasis has attracted much attention. Succinyl-CoA transferase (SCOT) is a key enzyme in the metabolism of ketone bodies. Its function is to transfer the coenzyme A group of succinyl-CoA to acetoacetate and catalyze the formation of acetoacetyl-CoA, which is the first rate-limiting step in ketone metabolism. Then acetoacetyl-CoA further breaks into two molecules of acetyl-CoA and enters the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Studies have shown that SCOT is highly expressed in a variety of tumors, and is closely related to tumor progression and prognosis of patients, which makes SCOT a potential marker for clinical diagnosis and prognosis evaluation; in addition, inhibition of SCOT activity can hinder the metabolism of ketone bodies in tumor cells, that is, reduce the production of ATP, thereby inhibiting tumor growth, proliferation, invasion and metastasis. This review aims to explore the important role of SCOT in metabolic pathways and its relationship with tumorigenesis and development, and to provide new ideas for exploring tumor metabolism and targeting molecular drugs.