Frequent alteration of the protein synthesis of enzymes for glucose metabolism in hepatocellular carcinomas (original) (raw)
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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metabolism is redirected to glycolysis to enhance the production of metabolic compounds employed by cancer cells to produce proteins, lipids, and nucleotides in order to maintain a high proliferative rate. This mechanism drives towards uncontrolled growth and causes a further increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), which could lead to cell death. HCC overcomes the problem generated by ROS increase by increasing the antioxidant machinery, in which key mechanisms involve glutathione, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF-1α). These mechanisms could represent optimal targets for innovative therapies. The tumor microenvironment (TME) exerts a key role in HCC pathogenesis and progression. Various metabolic machineries modulate the activity of immune cells in the TME. The deregulated metabolic activity of tumor cells could impair antitumor response. Lactic acid–lactate, derived from the anaerob...
Emerging Role of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Frontiers in oncology, 2017
In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in metabolic changes of cancer cells as it has been noticed that malignant transformation and metabolic reprogramming are closely intertwined. The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is one of the fundamental components of cellular metabolism crucial for cancer cells. This review will discuss recent findings regarding the involvement of PPP enzymes in several types of cancer, with a focus on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We will pay considerable attention to the involvement of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, the rate-limiting enzyme of the PPP. Subsequently, we discuss the inhibition of the PPP as a potential therapeutic strategy against cancer, in particular, HCC.
Biopolymers and Cell, 2013
The increasing of glycolysis in tumors under aerobic conditions is known as Warburg phenomenon; the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway increases also significantly. The pentose phosphate pathway and glycolysis, especially their first steps, and the regulatory enzyme 6-phosphofrukto-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase are influenced by cell signaling systems such as the system of circadian clock, the system of hypoxia-inducible factor and unfolded protein response system, that allow malignant cells to adapt to stress factors such as hypoxia, ischemia and influence of low molecular agents. The review enlightens the impact of signaling systems on the key enzymes of glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway gene expression in normal cells and in malignant cells, and their importance for survival of malignant cells under stress conditions.
International Journal of Experimental Pathology, 2008
(Pre)neoplastic lesions in livers of rats induced by diethylnitrosamine are characterized by elevated activity of the first irreversible enzyme of the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), for production of NADPH. In the present study, the activity of G6PD, and the other NADPH-producing enzymes, phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PGD), isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICD) and malate dehydrogenase (MD) was investigated in (pre)neoplastic lesions by metabolic mapping. Transketolase (TKT), the reversible rate-limiting enzyme of the non-oxidative branch of the PPP, mainly responsible for ribose production, was studied as well. Activity of G6PD in (pre)neoplastic lesions was highest, whereas activity of PGD and ICD was only 10% and of MD 5% of G6PD activity, respectively. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in (pre)neoplastic lesions was increased 25 times compared with extralesional parenchyma, which was also the highest activity increase of the four NADPH-producing dehydrogenases. Transketolase activity was 0.1% of G6PD activity in lesions and was increased 2.5fold as compared with normal parenchyma. Transketolase activity was localized by electron microscopy exclusively at membranes of granular endoplasmic reticulum in rat hepatoma cells where G6PD activity is localized as well. It is concluded that NADPH in (pre)neoplastic lesions is mainly produced by G6PD, whereas elevated TKT activity in (pre)neoplastic lesions is responsible for ribose formation with concomitant energy supply by glycolysis. The similar localization of G6PD and TKT activity suggests the channelling of substrates at this site to optimize the efficiency of NADPH and ribose synthesis.
Biochemical Journal, 1990
1. Maximal activities of some key enzymes of glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, the tricarboxylic acid cycle and glutaminolysis were measured in homogenates from a variety of normal, neoplastic and suppressed cells. 2. The relative activities of hexokinase and 6-phosphofructokinase suggest that, particularly in neoplastic cells, in which the capacity for glucose transport is high, hexokinase could approach saturation in respect to intracellular glucose; consequently, hexokinase and phosphofructokinase could play an important role in the regulation of glycolytic flux in these cells. 3. The activity of pyruvate kinase is considerably higher in tumorigenic cells than in non-tumorigenic cells and higher in metastatic cells than in tumorigenic cells: for non-tumorigenic cells the activities range from 28.4 to 574, for tumorigenic cells from 899 to 1280, and for metastatic cells from 1590 to 1627 nmol/min per mg of protein. 4. The ratio of pyruvate kinase activity to 2 x phosphofr...
International Journal of Cancer, 1998
Preneoplastic liver foci and neoplasms of different morphological phenotypes were induced in rats with N-nitrosomorpholine (NNM; 120 mg/l in drinking water for 7 weeks) and the peroxisome proliferator dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA; 0.6% in the diet for up to 84 weeks). Preneoplastic glycogen storage foci (GSF) occurred mainly upon treatment with NNM, and amphophilic cell foci (APF) were mainly observed in rats treated with DHEA alone or in combination with NNM. The 2 types of lesions belong to 2 different cellular lineages, the glycogenotic/basophilic lineage and the amphophilic lineage, which are characterized by distinct patterns of alterations in key enzymes of energy metabolism. Whereas in GSF enzymes of glucose metabolizing pathways were modified (increase in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase, decrease in glucose-6-phosphatase), APF mainly demonstrated alterations in mitochondrial enzymes (increase in cytochrome c oxidase, succinate dehydrogenase and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) and, to a lower extent, in peroxisomal enzymes (increase in peroxisomal hydratase and acyl-CoA oxidase). The alterations in enzyme expression reflect an insulinomimetic effect in GSF and a thyromimetic effect in APF. Neoplasms resulting from APF show a more differentiated phenotype than those arising from GSF. We suggest that the different and in many aspects opposite effects of the 2 carcinogens on key enzymes of distinct pathways of energy metabolism modulate the process of neoplastic liver cell transformation and result in phenotypically different preneoplasias and neoplasias reflecting different cellular lineages.
Medical Hypotheses, 1998
Pentose phosphate pathways (PPP) are considered important in tumor proliferation processes because of their role in supplying tumor cells with reduced NADP and carbons for intracellular anabolic processe. Direct involvement of PPP in tumor DNA/RNA synthesis is not considered as significant as in lipid and protein syntheses. Currently, PPP activity in tumor cells is measured by lactate production, which shows a moderate activity: about 4% to 7% compared with glycolysis. Recent data generated in our laboratory indicate that PPP are directly involved in ribose synthesis in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells, through oxidative steps « 31 %) and transketolase reactions (69%). These findings raise serious questions about the adequacy of lactate in measuring PPP activity in tumors. We hypothesize that ribose, not lactate. is the major product of PPP in tumor cells. Control of both oxidative and nonoxidative PPP may be critical in the treatment of cancer. PPP are substantially involved in the proliferation of human tumors, which raises the prospect of new treatment strategies targeting specific biochemical reactions of PPP by hormones related to glucose metabolism, controlling thiamine intake, the cofactor of the nonoxidative transketolase PPP reaction, or treating cancer patients with antithiamine analogues.
Carcinogenesis, 1990
Fundamental aberrations in carbohydrate metabolism have been previously demonstrated in focal hepatic lesions emerging early during hepatocarcinogenesis induced in rat liver by limited oral administration (stop model) of JV-nitrosomorpholine. Using this experimental approach, we have now investigated quantitatively the activity of pyruvate kinase (PK), a key enzyme of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, in individual preneoplastic and neoplastic hepatic lesions, particularly in glycogen storage foci, mixed cell foci, basophilk cell foci, hepatccellular adenomas and carcinomas and in a specific type of preneoplastk hepatic lesion designated as an enzymatkaDy hyperactive focus (EHF). Hie focal lesions were dissected from freeze-dried tissue sections with a laser microdissection device. This permits the excision of very small foci and the measurement of enzyme activities in serial sections of the same focus with different substrate concentrations, thus enabling possible changes in the isoenzyme pattern to be detected. On average, PK activity was increased in glycogen storage foci. Mixed cell fed showed a nearly normal or slightly decreased enzyme activity. However, a pronounced reduction in PK activity was observed in low glycogen basophilk foci and in basophilic hepatic tumors. An exceptionally high PK activity was found hi one glycogenotk adenoma. An increased activity was also observed in EHF. The results suggest that a reduction in PK activity is a relatively late event during the sequence of cellular changes leading from glycogenotic foci to hepatocellular carcinomas. A drastic decrease in the enzyme activity occurs only when low glycogen basophilk cell populations develop from the glycogenotic foci hi later stages of hepatocarcinogenesis.