scholarly journals Limits of aerobic metabolism in cancer cells

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexei Vazquez

Cancer cells exhibit high rates of aerobic glycolysis and glutaminolysis. Aerobic glycolysis can provide energy and glutaminolysis can provide carbon for anaplerosis and reductive carboxylation to citrate. However, all these metabolic requirements could be in principle satisfied from glucose. Energy can be generated from oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) of glucose, anaplerosis can be accomplished using pyruvate carboxylate and citrate can be derived from glucose. Here we investigate why cancer cells do not satisfy their metabolic demands using aerobic biosynthesis from glucose. Based on the typical composition of a mammalian cell we quantify the energy demand and the OxPhos burden of cell biosynthesis from glucose. Our calculation demonstrates that aerobic growth from glucose is feasible up to a minimum doubling time that is proportional to the OxPhos burden and inversely proportional to the mitochondria OxPhos capacity. To grow faster cancer cells must activate aerobic glycolysis for energy generation and uncouple NADH generation from biosynthesis. To uncouple biosynthesis from NADH generation cancer cells can synthesize lipids from carbon sources that do not produce NADH in their catabolism, including acetate and the amino acids glutamate, glutamine, phenylalanine and tyrosine. Finally, we show that cancer cell lines commonly used in cancer research have an OxPhos capacity that is insufficient to support aerobic biosynthesis from glucose. We conclude that selection for high rate of biosynthesis implies a selection for aerobic glycolysis and uncoupling biosynthesis from NADH generation. Any defect or perturbation reducing the OxPhos capacity will exacerbate this selection.

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bougherara Hithem ◽  
Boukhechem Saïd ◽  
Aguezlane Abdelaziz ◽  
Benelhadj Khouloud ◽  
Aissi Adel

Background: Sticker sarcoma, also called venereal sarcoma or venereal lymphosarcomatosis, is a tumor of the external genital organs in females and males. In male animals the penis and foreskin (prepuce) are affected, in the female, it happens in vagina (vagina) and labia (vulva). The diagnosis of sticker sarcoma is based on the chronic discharge, the typical locations and the characteristic appearance of the tumor. Methods: We have relied on the treatment method on the complete surgical removal of all cancer cells that we can access. Results: After surgery, we notice recurrent tumors about six months after surgical treatment, indicating the need for other treatments in addition to surgery. Conclusion: Although spontaneous regressions of sticker sarcoma are documented (with permanent immunity), chemotherapy is the treatment of choice today. Irradiation should also be effective. If the tumor is only removed surgically, there is a high rate of recurrence, and this is what happened with the case that we treated, as the tumor reappeared after less than six months.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 178-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Amjad Kamal ◽  
Maryam Hassan Al-Zahrani ◽  
Salman Hasan Khan ◽  
Mateen Hasan Khan ◽  
Hani Awad Al-Subhi ◽  
...  

Cancer cells are altered with cell cycle genes or they are mutated, leading to a high rate of proliferation compared to normal cells. Alteration in these genes leads to mitosis dysregulation and becomes the basis of tumor progression and resistance to many drugs. The drugs which act on the cell cycle fail to arrest the process, making cancer cell non-responsive to apoptosis or cell death. Vinca alkaloids and taxanes fall in this category and are referred to as antimitotic agents. Microtubule proteins play an important role in mitosis during cell division as a target site for vinca alkaloids and taxanes. These proteins are dynamic in nature and are composed of α-β-tubulin heterodimers. β-tubulin specially βΙΙΙ isotype is generally altered in expression within cancerous cells. Initially, these drugs were very effective in the treatment of cancer but failed to show their desired action after initial chemotherapy. The present review highlights some of the important targets and their mechanism of resistance offered by cancer cells with new promising drugs from natural sources that can lead to the development of a new approach to chemotherapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Jin ◽  
Eun-Yeong Kim ◽  
Tae-Wook Chung ◽  
Chang Woo Han ◽  
So Young Park ◽  
...  

AbstractMost cancer cells primarily produce their energy through a high rate of glycolysis followed by lactic acid fermentation even in the presence of abundant oxygen. Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) 1, an enzyme responsible for aerobic glycolysis via phosphorylating and inactivating pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex, is commonly overexpressed in tumors and recognized as a therapeutic target in colorectal cancer. Hemistepsin A (HsA) is a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Hemistepta lyrata Bunge (Compositae). Here, we report that HsA is a PDK1 inhibitor can reduce the growth of colorectal cancer and consequent activation of mitochondrial ROS-dependent apoptotic pathway both in vivo and in vitro. Computational simulation and biochemical assays showed that HsA directly binds to the lipoamide-binding site of PDK1, and subsequently inhibits the interaction of PDK1 with the E2 subunit of PDH complex. As a result of PDK1 inhibition, lactate production was decreased, but oxygen consumption was increased. Mitochondrial ROS levels and mitochondrial damage were also increased. Consistent with these observations, the apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells was promoted by HsA with enhanced activation of caspase-3 and -9. These results suggested that HsA might be a potential candidate for developing a novel anti-cancer drug through suppressing cancer metabolism.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1259
Author(s):  
Qiong Wu ◽  
Bo Zhao ◽  
Guangchao Sui ◽  
Jinming Shi

Aberrant metabolism is one of the hallmarks of cancers. The contributions of dysregulated metabolism to cancer development, such as tumor cell survival, metastasis and drug resistance, have been extensively characterized. “Reprogrammed” metabolic pathways in cancer cells are mainly represented by excessive glucose consumption and hyperactive de novo lipogenesis. Natural compounds with anticancer activities are constantly being demonstrated to target metabolic processes, such as glucose transport, aerobic glycolysis, fatty acid synthesis and desaturation. However, their molecular targets and underlying anticancer mechanisms remain largely unclear or controversial. Mounting evidence indicated that these natural compounds could modulate the expression of key regulatory enzymes in various metabolic pathways at transcriptional and translational levels. Meanwhile, natural compounds could also inhibit the activities of these enzymes by acting as substrate analogs or altering their protein conformations. The actions of natural compounds in the crosstalk between metabolism modulation and cancer cell destiny have become increasingly attractive. In this review, we summarize the activities of natural small molecules in inhibiting key enzymes of metabolic pathways. We illustrate the structural characteristics of these compounds at the molecular level as either inhibitor of various enzymes or regulators of metabolic pathways in cancer cells. Our ultimate goal is to both facilitate the clinical application of natural compounds in cancer therapies and promote the development of novel anticancer therapeutics.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Odeya Marciano ◽  
Linoy Mehazri ◽  
Sally Shpungin ◽  
Alexander Varvak ◽  
Eldad Zacksenhaus ◽  
...  

Aerobic glycolysis is an important metabolic adaptation of cancer cells. However, there is growing evidence that reprogrammed mitochondria also play an important metabolic role in metastatic dissemination. Two constituents of the reprogrammed mitochondria of cancer cells are the intracellular tyrosine kinase Fer and its cancer- and sperm-specific variant, FerT. Here, we show that Fer and FerT control mitochondrial susceptibility to therapeutic and hypoxic stress in metastatic colon (SW620) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC-H1299) cells. Fer- and FerT-deficient SW620 and H1299 cells (SW∆Fer/FerT and H∆Fer/FerT cells, respectively) become highly sensitive to metformin treatment and to hypoxia under glucose-restrictive conditions. Metformin impaired mitochondrial functioning that was accompanied by ATP deficiency and robust death in SW∆Fer/FerT and H∆Fer/FerT cells compared to the parental SW620 and H1299 cells. Notably, selective knockout of the fer gene without affecting FerT expression reduced sensitivity to metformin and hypoxia seen in SW∆Fer/FerT cells. Thus, Fer and FerT modulate the mitochondrial susceptibility of metastatic cancer cells to hypoxia and metformin. Targeting Fer/FerT may therefore provide a novel anticancer treatment by efficient, selective, and more versatile disruption of mitochondrial function in malignant cells.


1984 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 837-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence I. Hochstein ◽  
Geraldine A. Tomlinson

A synthetic medium, consisting of inorganic salts and any of a number of carbon sources, supported the aerobic growth of Paracoccus halodenitrificans when supplemented with thiamine. The same medium plus an appropriate nitrogenous oxide supported anaerobic growth when additionally supplemented with methionine. The observation that vitamin B12 or betaine replaced methionine suggested that P. halodenitrificans had a defect in the cobalamin-dependent pathway for methionine biosynthesis, as well as the inability to synthesize betaine when growing anaerobically.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 815-827
Author(s):  
Giancarlo Solaini ◽  
Gianluca Sgarbi ◽  
Alessandra Baracca

In the last two decades, IF1, the endogenous inhibitor of the mitochondrial F1Fo-ATPase (ATP synthase) has assumed greater and ever greater interest since it has been found to be overexpressed in many cancers. At present, several findings indicate that IF1 is capable of playing a central role in cancer cells by promoting metabolic reprogramming, proliferation and resistance to cell death. However, the mechanism(s) at the basis of this pro-oncogenic action of IF1 remains elusive. Here, we recall the main features of the mechanism of the action of IF1 when the ATP synthase works in reverse, and discuss the experimental evidence that support its relevance in cancer cells. In particular, a clear pro-oncogenic action of IF1 is to avoid wasting of ATP when cancer cells are exposed to anoxia or near anoxia conditions, therefore favoring cell survival and tumor growth. However, more recently, various papers have described IF1 as an inhibitor of the ATP synthase when it is working physiologically (i.e. synthethizing ATP), and therefore reprogramming cell metabolism to aerobic glycolysis. In contrast, other studies excluded IF1 as an inhibitor of ATP synthase under normoxia, providing the basis for a hot debate. This review focuses on the role of IF1 as a modulator of the ATP synthase in normoxic cancer cells with the awareness that the knowledge of the molecular action of IF1 on the ATP synthase is crucial in unravelling the molecular mechanism(s) responsible for the pro-oncogenic role of IF1 in cancer and in developing related anticancer strategies.


FEBS Letters ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 590 (18) ◽  
pp. 3179-3187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Da-Qing Yang ◽  
Dana M. Freund ◽  
Benjamin R. E. Harris ◽  
Defeng Wang ◽  
Margot P. Cleary ◽  
...  

1979 ◽  
Vol 236 (5) ◽  
pp. F423-F433 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Cohen

It is widely accepted that in vivo the function of the papilla of the mammalian kidney is supported primarily by anaerobic metabolism. As a result, the major source of energy for support of function in the papilla is considered to be derived from glycolysis. This orientation originates from two concepts: 1) that in vivo the gaseous environment of the papilla has such a low PO2 that O2 availability limits O2 consumption, and 2) that papillary tissue has a high rate of glycolysis when compared with either cortical tissue or extrarenal tissues. It has also been tacitly assumed that papillary tissue has a "low" O2 uptake. Review of the measurements of PO2 of papillary tissue and of urine PO2 indicates that the PO2 of papillary tissue should not limit its aerobic mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. While the rate of aerobic glycolysis in papillary tissue is high, simultaneously papillary tissue has a rate of O2 uptake similar to that of liver and higher than that of muscle. The major (two-thirds) source of energy for papillary tissue in vitro is from O2 uptake. That papillary tissue is not exclusively dependent on glucose for its energy requirements is indicated by the greater stimulation of papillary tissue QO2 by succinate than by glucose. Thus, papillary tissue has both a high aerobic mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and a high aerobic glycolytic metabolism. It is suggested that the mechanism for the high rate of aerobic glycolysis in the presence of an adequate O2 supply is due to the relatively small mass of mitochondria in papillary tissue in relation to the amount of work done by the tissue. As a result of the limited rate of ATP production by the mitochondrial electron transport chain, the phosphorylation state ([ATP]/[ADP][Pi]) is reduced and the cytoplasmic redox state ([NAD+]/[NADH]) of the papillary collecting duct cells also becomes more reduced; changes in both ratios enhance the rate of glycolysis. This limited metabolic capacity of the collecting duct cells may permit an excess volume of solute and water to be excreted during volume expansion diuresis. The metabolic characteristics of the papilla, when compared to cortex, also provide a basis for the observed differences in substrate selectivity of cortex and medulla with respect to utilization of glucose and lactate. The experimental approaches that may provide information bearing on the suggested mechanisms for regulation of papillary metabolism in relation to tubular work functions are indicated.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document