Recent research suggests that chromatin structure is determined, to a great extent, by metabolic signals, and cells’ decision to proliferate, differentiate, migrate, or be quiescent is determined by their micro-environment (Lu and Thompson 2012). Studies in cancer development have revealed a tight link between metabolism and epigenetics. The molecular connections between metabolism and epigenetic modifications of chromatin (Lu and Thompson 2012) and the role of histones as metabolic sensors that convert changes in metabolism into stable patterns of gene expression (Katada et al. 2012) have been described. The relationship between epigenetic modifications and metabolism is complex and bidirectional. On the one hand, epigenetic changes can influence metabolism by regulating the expression of metabolic enzymes (Wolf et al. 2011). On the other hand, metabolism can disturb epigenetic status, resulting in changes in gene expression or chromatin structure (Wellen and Thompson 2012). In fact, all epigenetic enzymes depend on various substrates or cofactors that are intermediates of cell metabolism (Locasale and Cantley 2011).
