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  3. PKM2, cancer metabolism, and the road ahead

PKM2, cancer metabolism, and the road ahead

  • EMBO Rep. 2016 Dec;17(12):1721-1730. doi: 10.15252/embr.201643300.
Talya L Dayton 1,  Tyler Jacks 1 2,  Matthew G Vander Heiden 3 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
  • 2 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
  • 3 David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA mvh@mit.edu.
  • 4 Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
PMID: 27856534 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201643300
Abstract

A major metabolic aberration associated with Cancer is a change in glucose metabolism. Isoform selection of the glycolytic enzyme Pyruvate Kinase has been implicated in the metabolic phenotype of Cancer cells, and specific Pyruvate Kinase isoforms have been suggested to support divergent energetic and biosynthetic requirements of cells in tumors and normal tissues. PKM2 isoform expression has been closely linked to embryogenesis, tissue repair, and Cancer. In contrast, forced expression of the PKM1 isoform has been associated with reduced tumor cell proliferation. Here, we discuss the role that PKM2 plays in cells and provide a historical perspective for how the study of PKM2 has contributed to understanding Cancer metabolism. We also review recent studies that raise important questions with regard to the role of PKM2 in both normal and Cancer cell metabolism.

Keywords

PKM2; cancer metabolism; glycolysis; pyruvate kinase.

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