A non-dividing cell population with high pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase activity regulates metabolic heterogeneity and tumorigenesis in the intestine

Metabolic reprogramming upon SIRT6 loss induces tumour formation in the intestine but the mechanism is unclear. Here, the authors show that loss of SIRT6 leads to the expansion of epithelial cells with high pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase activity resulting in enhanced stem cell activity and tumour-initiating potential