Inhibition of the pentose phosphate pathway by dichloroacetate unravels a missing link between aerobic glycolysis and cancer cell proliferation.

ABSTRACT: Glucose fermentation through glycolysis even in the presence of oxygen (Warburg effect) is a common feature of cancer cells increasingly considered as an enticing target in clinical development. This study aimed to analyze the link between metabolism, energy stores and proliferation rates in cancer cells. We found that cell proliferation, evaluated by DNA synthesis quantification, is correlated to glycolytic efficiency in six cancer cell lines as well as in isogenic cancer cell lines. To further investigate the link between glycolysis and proliferation, a pharmacological inhibitor of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) was used. We demonstrated that reduction of PPP activity decreases cancer cells proliferation, with a profound effect in Warburg-phenotype cancer cells. The crucial role of

SUBMITTER: De Preter G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4823080 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature