TKTL1 participated in malignant progression of cervical cancer cells via regulating AKT signal mediated PFKFB3 and thus regulating glycolysis

Glucose metabolism reprogramming in gynecologic malignant tumors

The incidence and mortality of gynecological tumors are progressively increasing due to factors such as obesity, viral infection, unhealthy habits, as well as social and economic pressures. Consequently, it has emerged as a significant threat to women's health. Numerous studies have revealed the remarkable metabolic activity of tumor cells in glycolysis and its ability to influence malignant biological behavior through specific mechanisms. Therefore, it is crucial for patients and gynecologists to comprehend the role of glycolytic proteins, regulatory molecules, and signaling pathways in tumorigenesis, progression, and treatment. This article aims to review the correlation between abnormal glucose metabolism and gynecologic tumors including cervical cancer (CC), endometrial carcinoma (EC), and ovarian cancer (OC). The findings from this research will provide valuable scientific insights for early screening, timely diagnosis and treatment interventions while also aiding in the prevention of recurrence among individuals with gynecological tumors.

Upregulation of FAM83F by c-Myc promotes cervical cancer growth and aerobic glycolysis via Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation

Cervical cancer (CC) seriously affects women's health. Therefore, elucidation of the exact mechanisms and identification of novel therapeutic targets are urgently needed. In this study, we identified FAM83F, which was highly expressed in CC cells and tissues, as a potential target. Our clinical data revealed that FAM83F protein expression was markedly elevated in CC tissues and was positively correlated with poor prognosis. Moreover, we observed that FAM83F knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and suppressed glycolysis in CC cells, while its overexpression displayed opposite effects. Mechanistically, FAM83F regulated CC cell growth and glycolysis by the modulation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The enhancing effects of FAM83F overexpression on CC cell proliferation and glycolysis could be impaired by the Wnt/β-catenin inhibitor XAV939. Moreover, we found that c-Myc bound to the FAM83F promoter and activated the transcription of FAM83F. Notably, knockdown of FAM83F impaired the enhancement of cell proliferation and glycolysis induced by ectopic c-Myc. Consistent with in vitro findings, results from a xenograft mouse model confirmed the promoting role of FAM83F. In summary, our study demonstrated that FAM83F promoted CC growth and glycolysis through regulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, suggesting that FAM83F may be a potential molecular target for CC treatment. Schematic summary of c-Myc-activated FAM83F transcription to promote cervical cancer growth and glycolysis by targeting the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway.

Characterization of cancer subtypes associated with clinical outcomes by multi-omics integrative clustering

Cancer patients show heterogeneous phenotypes and very different outcomes and responses even to common treatments, such as standard chemotherapy. This state-of-affairs has motivated the need for the comprehensive characterization of cancer phenotypes and fueled the generation of large omics datasets, comprising multiple omics data reported for the same patients, which might now allow us to start deciphering cancer heterogeneity and implement personalized therapeutic strategies. In this work, we performed the analysis of four cancer types obtained from the latest efforts by The Cancer Genome Atlas, for which seven distinct omics data were available for each patient, in addition to curated clinical outcomes. We performed a uniform pipeline for raw data preprocessing and adopted the Cancer Integration via MultIkernel LeaRning (CIMLR) integrative clustering method to extract cancer subtypes. We then systematically review the discovered clusters for the considered cancer types, highlighting novel associations between the different omics and prognosis.

Glucose induced-AKT/mTOR activation accelerates glycolysis and promotes cell survival in acute myeloid leukemia

Multiple studies have demonstrated that excessive glucose utilization is a common feature of cancer cells to support malignant phenotype. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is recognized as a heterogeneous disorder of hematopoietic stem cells characterized by altered glucose metabolism. However, the role of glucose metabolic dysfunction in AML development remains obscure. In this study, glucose and 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) treatment were applied to analyze the relationship between glucose metabolism and cell survival. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry (FCM) assays were used to examine the cell viability and apoptosis rate. Glucose consumption and lactate production were measured to assess the glucose metabolism pathway. The results demonstrated that abnormally increased glucose effectively promoted proliferation of leukemic cells and inhibited cell apoptosis, while 2-DG ameliorated leukemic phenotypes. Importantly, glucose exposure induced active glycolysis by increasing glucose consumption and lactate production. Furthermore, the levels of key glycolysis-related genes glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) and monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) were upregulated. Mechanistic investigations revealed that AKT/mTOR signaling pathway was activated in glucose condition. In conclusion, our findings indicate that glucose induced-AKT/mTOR activation plays a growth-promoting role in AML, highlighting that inhibition of glycolysis would be a vital adjuvant therapy strategy for AML.

Metabolic reprogramming and interventions in endometrial carcinoma

Cancer cells are usually featured by metabolic adaptations that facilitate their growth, invasion, and metastasis. Thus, reprogramming of intracellular energy metabolism is currently one of the hotspots in the field of cancer research. Whereas aerobic glycolysis (known as the Warburg effect) has long been considered a dominant form of energy metabolism in cancer cells, emerging evidence indicates that other metabolic forms, especially oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), may play a critical role at least in some types of cancer. Of note, women with metabolic syndromes (MetS), including obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, have an increased risk of developing endometrial carcinoma (EC), suggesting a close link between metabolism and EC. Interestingly, the metabolic preferences vary among EC cell types, particularly cancer stem cells and chemotherapy-resistant cells. Currently, it is commonly accepted that glycolysis is the main energy provider in EC cells, while OXPHOS is reduced or impaired. Moreover, agents specifically targeting the glycolysis and/or OXPHOS pathways can inhibit tumor cell growth and promote chemosensitization. For example, metformin and weight control not only reduce the incidence of EC but also improve the prognosis of EC patients. In this review, we comprehensively overview the current in-depth understanding of the relationship between metabolism and EC and provide up-to-date insights into the development of novel therapies targeting energy metabolism for auxiliary treatment in combination with chemotherapy for EC, especially those resistant to conventional chemotherapy.

Recent progress of the tumor microenvironmental metabolism in cervical cancer radioresistance

Radiotherapy is widely used as an indispensable treatment option for cervical cancer patients. However, radioresistance always occurs and has become a big obstacle to treatment efficacy. The reason for radioresistance is mainly attributed to the high repair ability of tumor cells that overcome the DNA damage caused by radiotherapy, and the increased self-healing ability of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Accumulating findings have demonstrated that the tumor microenvironment (TME) is closely related to cervical cancer radioresistance in many aspects, especially in the metabolic processes. In this review, we discuss radiotherapy in cervical cancer radioresistance, and focus on recent research progress of the TME metabolism that affects radioresistance in cervical cancer. Understanding the mechanism of metabolism in cervical cancer radioresistance may help identify useful therapeutic targets for developing novel therapy, overcome radioresistance and improve the efficacy of radiotherapy in clinics and quality of life of patients.

The role of transketolase in human cancer progression and therapy

Transketolase (TKT) is an enzyme that is ubiquitously expressed in all living organisms and has been identified as an important regulator of cancer. Recent studies have shown that the TKT family includes the TKT gene and two TKT-like (TKTL) genes; TKTL1 and TKTL2. TKT and TKTL1 have been reported to be involved in the regulation of multiple cancer-related events, such as cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, chemoradiotherapy resistance, and patient survival and prognosis. Therefore, TKT may be an ideal target for cancer treatment. More importantly, the levels of TKTL1 were detected using EDIM technology for the early detection of some malignancies, and TKTL1 was more sensitive and specific than traditional tumor markers. Detecting TKTL1 levels before and after surgery could be used to evaluate the surgery's effect. While targeted TKT suppresses cancer in multiple ways, in some cases, it has detrimental effects on the organism. In this review, we discuss the role of TKT in different tumors and the detailed mechanisms while evaluating its value and limitations in clinical applications. Therefore, this review provides a basis for the clinical application of targeted therapy for TKT in the future, and a strategy for subsequent cancer-related research.