Limits of aerobic metabolism in cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: Cancer cells exhibit high rates of glycolysis and glutaminolysis. Glycolysis can provide energy and glutaminolysis can provide carbon for anaplerosis and reductive carboxylation to citrate. However, all these metabolic requirements could be in principle satisfied from glucose. Here we investigate why cancer cells do not satisfy their metabolic demands using aerobic biosynthesis from glucose. Based on the typical composition of a mammalian cell we quantify the energy demand and the OxPhos burden of cell biosynthesis from glucose. Our calculation demonstrates that aerobic growth from glucose is feasible up to a minimum doubling time that is proportional to the OxPhos burden and inversely proportional to the mitochondria OxPhos capacity. To grow faster cancer cells must activate aerobic glyco

SUBMITTER: Fernandez-de-Cossio-Diaz J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5647437 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature