Gluconeogenesis in cancer cells – Repurposing of a starvation-induced metabolic pathway?

Publication date: Available online 30 May 2019Source: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Reviews on CancerAuthor(s): Gabriele Grasmann, Elisabeth Smolle, Horst Olschewski, Katharina LeithnerAbstractCancer cells constantly face a fluctuating nutrient supply and interference with adaptive responses might be an effective therapeutic approach. It has been discovered that in the absence of glucose, cancer cells can synthesize crucial metabolites by expressing phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK, PCK1 or PCK2) using abbreviated forms of gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis, which in essence is the reverse pathway of glycolysis, uses lactate or amino acids to feed biosynthetic pathways branching from glycolysis. PCK1 and PCK2 have been shown to be critical for the growth of certain cancers. In contrast, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1), a downstream gluconeogenesis enzyme, inhibits glycolysis and tumor growth, partly by non-enzymatic mechanisms. This review sheds light on current knowledge of cancer cell gluconeogenesis and its role in metabolic reprogramming, cancer cell plasticity, and tumor growth.
Source: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) Reviews on Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research