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Cancer Cells and Effects of Glucose Starvation

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Handbook of Famine, Starvation, and Nutrient Deprivation

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Abstract

As the main energy source for the human body, glucose metabolism plays multiple roles in the physiology of cancer cells. In the environment of hypoxia and low sugar, cancer cells transform the normal glucose metabolism to aerobic glycolysis autonomously, regulated by different molecules. Under conditions of glucose deprivation, cancer cells suffer from the inhibition of growth, the arrest of cell cycle, apoptosis, and autophagy, regulated by respective associated proteins and pathways. It is possible that glucose deprivation alone or in combination with pharmacological therapy would be effective in the treatment of cancer “addicted” to glycolysis. However, several experiments have demonstrated that cancer cells may develop tolerance to glucose deprivation. In this review, we discuss these issues in order to provide a clear understanding of effects of glucose starvation on cancer therapy.

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Abbreviations

AMP:

Adenosine monophosphate

AMPK:

Adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase

ATG14:

Autophagy-related 14

ATP:

Adenosine triphosphate

BCL-2:

B-cell lymphoma-2

GTP:

Guanosine triphosphate

HIF1α:

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha subunit

KRAS:

KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase

LC3:

Autophagy marker light chain 3

MAX:

MYC-associated factor X

MCL-1:

Myeloid cell leukemia 1

mTORC1:

Mechanistic target of rapamycin complexes 1 and 2

MYC :

MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor

NADPH:

Triphosphopyridine nucleotide

PAQR3:

Progestin and adipoQ receptor family member 3

PI3K/AKT:

Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B(AKT)

PKA:

Protein kinase A

PtdIns3P:

Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate

ROS-PTP-TK:

Reactive oxygen species – protein tyrosine phosphatases – tyrosine kinases

TNFα:

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha

ULK1:

unc-51-like autophagy activating kinase 1

UPR:

Unfolded protein response

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology & Endoscopy Center, Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou/Zhejiang, China

    Wensheng Pan & Chenjing Zhang

  2. Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zhejiang, Hangzhou, China

    Xiaoge Geng

Authors
  1. Wensheng Pan
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  2. Xiaoge Geng
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  3. Chenjing Zhang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wensheng Pan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Diabetes & Nutritional Sci Div Sch, King's College London, London, United Kingdom

    Victor Preedy

  2. Clinical Biochemistry, University of Westminster, Westminster, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

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Pan, W., Geng, X., Zhang, C. (2018). Cancer Cells and Effects of Glucose Starvation. In: Preedy, V., Patel, V. (eds) Handbook of Famine, Starvation, and Nutrient Deprivation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40007-5_100-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40007-5_100-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-40007-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-40007-5

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