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Mathew M, Nguyen NT, Bhutia YD, Sivaprakasam S, Ganapathy V. Metabolic Signature of Warburg Effect in Cancer: An Effective and Obligatory Interplay between Nutrient Transporters and Catabolic/Anabolic Pathways to Promote Tumor Growth. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:504. [PMID: 38339256 PMCID: PMC10854907 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16030504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells, originally observed by Warburg 100 years ago, which involves the production of lactate as the end product of glucose breakdown even in the presence of adequate oxygen, is the foundation for the current interest in the cancer-cell-specific reprograming of metabolic pathways. The renewed interest in cancer cell metabolism has now gone well beyond the original Warburg effect related to glycolysis to other metabolic pathways that include amino acid metabolism, one-carbon metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway, nucleotide synthesis, antioxidant machinery, etc. Since glucose and amino acids constitute the primary nutrients that fuel the altered metabolic pathways in cancer cells, the transporters that mediate the transfer of these nutrients and their metabolites not only across the plasma membrane but also across the mitochondrial and lysosomal membranes have become an integral component of the expansion of the Warburg effect. In this review, we focus on the interplay between these transporters and metabolic pathways that facilitates metabolic reprogramming, which has become a hallmark of cancer cells. The beneficial outcome of this recent understanding of the unique metabolic signature surrounding the Warburg effect is the identification of novel drug targets for the development of a new generation of therapeutics to treat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Vadivel Ganapathy
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA; (M.M.); (N.T.N.); (Y.D.B.); (S.S.)
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Singh M, Afonso J, Sharma D, Gupta R, Kumar V, Rani R, Baltazar F, Kumar V. Targeting monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) in cancer: How close are we to the clinics? Semin Cancer Biol 2023; 90:1-14. [PMID: 36706846 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2023.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
As a result of metabolic reprogramming, cancer cells display high rates of glycolysis, causing an excess production of lactate along with an increase in extracellular acidity. Proton-linked monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) are crucial in the maintenance of this metabolic phenotype, by mediating the proton-coupled lactate flux across cell membranes, also contributing to cancer cell pH regulation. Among the proteins codified by the SLC16 gene family, MCT1 and MCT4 isoforms are the most explored in cancers, being overexpressed in many cancer types, from solid tumours to haematological malignancies. Similarly to what occurs in particular physiological settings, MCT1 and MCT4 are able to mediate lactate shuttles among cancer cells, and also between cancer and stromal cells in the tumour microenvironment. This form of metabolic cooperation is responsible for important cancer aggressiveness features, such as cell proliferation, survival, angiogenesis, migration, invasion, metastasis, immune tolerance and therapy resistance. The growing understanding of MCT functions and regulation is offering a new path to the design of novel inhibitors that can be foreseen in clinical practices. This review provides an overview of the role of MCT isoforms in cancer and summarizes the recent advances in their pharmacological targeting, highlighting the potential of new potent and selective MCT1 and/or MCT4 inhibitors in cancer therapeutics, and anticipating its inclusion in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamta Singh
- Amity Institute of Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research Amity, University UP, Sector-125, Noida 201313, India
| | - Julieta Afonso
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Dolly Sharma
- Amity Institute of Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research Amity, University UP, Sector-125, Noida 201313, India; Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University UP, Sector-125, Noida, India-201313
| | - Rajat Gupta
- Amity Institute of Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research Amity, University UP, Sector-125, Noida 201313, India
| | - Vivek Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, DBG College, Sector-18, Panipat, Haryana, India
| | - Reshma Rani
- Drug Discovery, Jubilant Biosys, Greater Noida 201306, UP, India.
| | - Fátima Baltazar
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - Vinit Kumar
- Amity Institute of Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research Amity, University UP, Sector-125, Noida 201313, India.
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