The metabolism of cell growth

Understanding the basic differences between normal and transformed cells should aid in the design of improved treatments for cancer. Dysregulated growth and altered metabolism are two such unique features of malignancy. We sought to determine the regulation of glucose metabolism and its importance for cell growth by studying growth factor dependent and fully transformed cells. Extracellular growth factors directly stimulate cellular enlargement as well as glucose utilization in excess of bioenergetic demand. This growth and metabolic regulation is mediated by growth factor dependent signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt. Elevated Akt activity is frequently observed in cancer cells and is sufficient for increased glucose metabolism. Cells must continuously channel glucose-derived metabolites into biosynthetic fates to maintain rapid growth and tumorigenic potential. Inhibition of aerobic glycolysis or glucose-dependent biosynthesis can specifically target transformed cells. This heightened susceptibility is due to the suppression of catabolic survival strategies employed by normal cells.