Metabolic differences between normal and cancer cells are shown

Metabolic differences between normal and cancer cells are shown. In normal cells, glucose is metabolized to pyruvate, which is completely oxidized to CO2 through the TCA cycle and the oxidative phosphorylation process in the mitochondria. Only if O2 is limited, pyruvate is metabolized to lactate. Cancer cells convert most glucose to lactate regardless of the availability of O2 (the Warburg effect). Secretion of lactate favors tumor progression. The increased glucose utilization through glycolytic pathway generates metabolic intermediates such as glucose-6-phosphate, which is used for the synthesis of nucleic acids through the pentose phosphate pathway. Glutamate produced during glutaminolysis serves as the major substrate to refuel the TCA cycle. Citrate-derived acetyl CoA is used for lipid production. The increased synthesis of nucleic acid and lipids promote proliferation and growth of cancer cells.

Publication

O-GlcNAcylation and Metabolic Reprograming in Cancer. (2014) Paweł Jóźwiak, et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2014;5:145. Figure: F1.

Disease mentions