| Literature DB >> 22954255 |
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cancer is a devastating type of disease. New and innovative ways to tackle cancers that have so far proved refractive to conventional therapies is urgently needed. It is becoming increasingly clear that, in addition to conventional therapeutics targeting by small molecules, that tumor cell metabolism presents new opportunities to target selectively specific cancer cell populations. Metabolic defects in cancer cells can be manifested in many ways that might not be readily apparent, such as altering epigenetic gene regulation for example. The complex rewiring of metabolic pathways gives tumor cells a special advantage over differentiated cells, since they deplete body stores as fuel for their growth and proliferation. Tumor metabolism looks simpler when we consider that some enzymatic switches are in a neoglucogenic direction thereby depleting body stores. However, these pathways may be inadequately switched on by catabolic hormones (glucagon, epinephrine and cortisol) in a specific situation where anabolism is activated by, for example insulin released from beta pancreatic cells or IGF, inducing mitosis and synthesis that are powered by glucose catabolism. Such a hybrid metabolic situation would be reached if a pancreatic beta cell mechanism, mediated by GABA, failed to silence neighboring alpha cells and delta cells. The inhibitory transmitter GABA hyperpolarizes alpha and delta cells via their GABA A receptors, and blocks the release of glucagon and somatostatin. Alternatively, an anomaly of alpha cell channels, would lead to a similar situation. Whatever is the alteration, anabolism fails to silence catabolism and enzymatic switches controlled by kinases and phosphatases adopt an inadequate direction, leading to a hybrid metabolic rewiring found in cancer. It is daring to formulate such a hypothesis as this. However, it is quite possible that the starting point in cancer is an alteration of the endocrine pancreas, suppressing the mechanism by which beta cells silence the neighboring alpha and delta cells, with GABA and Zn2+.Entities:
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Year: 2012 PMID: 22954255 PMCID: PMC3438135 DOI: 10.1186/1476-4598-11-63
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Mol Cancer ISSN: 1476-4598 Impact factor: 27.401
Figure 1Altered pancreatic beta cell mechanism silencing alpha and delta cells. A: right, anabolic hormones: In hyperglycemia, beta cells release insulin; tyrosine kinase receptors elicit glucose uptake, synthetic processes, cells divide. Enzymes are dephosphorylated: PK, PDH, glycogensynthase are switched on, phosphorylase a, HSL are off; glycogen and lipids increase. These effects are induced via (PKB). Citratesynthase is active, controlled by NADH. Anabolic beta cells turn off with GABA- Zn2+ catabolic alpha cells. A: left, catabolic hormones: In hypoglycemia alpha cells release glucagon; adrenals release epinephrine. GS-coupled receptors activate adenylate cyclase, (PKA) phosphorylates enzymes: phosphorylase a, is switched on, hydrolyses glycogen; glycogensynthase is off. Neoglucogenesis is activated; (PK) and PDH blockade orient the pathway, sparing pyruvate for neoglucogenesis. Glucagon elicits (CRH) (ACTH) release triggering glucocorticoid-cortisol release from adrenals. Cortisol induces muscle proteolysis, providing amino acids for neoglucogenesis. Citratesynthase inhibition spares oxaloacetate for neoglucogenesis. Phosphorylated (HSL) provides fatty acids, giving ketone bodies. B: Cancer hybrid metabolism: GABA release interruption from beta cells, cancels alpha cells inhibition, eliciting a hybrid catabolism-anabolism 1- In tumor cells, insulin induces mitosis and anabolism via PKB; citratesynthase is activate. But glucagon and epinephrine elicit, via PKA, phosphorylation and inhibition of PK and PDH. Low GABA increases epinephrine, inhibits somatostatin; reinforcing Growth Hormone-IGF- insulin actions.
2- In stores, catabolic hormones trigger proteolysis and lipolysis. 3- Metabolism is rewired below PK and PDH bottlenecks: tumor citratesynthase pulls the glucose flux; receiving oxaloacetate via (PEPCK), while acetylCoA comes from ketone bodies or fatty acids oxidized in peroxisomes (their mitochondrial transport is blocked by malonate forming tumor fatty acids via acetylCoA carboxylase). ATPcitratelyase receives the mitochondrial citrate efflux. Diverted from neoglucogenesis, amino acids form tumor proteins, feed lactatedehydrogenase via alanine transamination.