Study Reveals Why Cancer Cells Like Sugar
Posted on: Thursday, 17 April 2008, 12:01 CDT
U.S. medical researchers say they've discovered why cancer cells like sugar so much -- a finding than might lead to better cancer treatments.
Duke University School of Medicine Assistant Professor Jeffrey Rathmell and graduate student Jonathan Coloff found that tumor cells use glucose as a way to avoid programmed cell death.
The cancer cells make use of a protein called Akt that promotes glucose metabolism. That, in turn, regulates a family of proteins critical for cell survival, the researchers said.
In normal cells, growth factors regulate metabolism and cell survival, they said. Removing those factors leads to loss of glucose uptake and metabolism, causing cell death. But they found cancer cells maintain glucose metabolism by utilizing Akt to maintain glucose usage, thereby resisting cell death even when deprived of growth factors.
The findings were presented Tuesday in San Diego during the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research.
Source: United Press International
Related Articles
- Cancer Metabolism Discovery Uncovers New Role Of IDH1 Gene Mutation In Brain Cancer
- Prostate Cancer Screening Cuts Deaths By 20 Percent
- ZymoGenetics Presents Interim IL-21 Phase 2 Results in Renal Cell Cancer
- ZymoGenetics Initiates Phase II Renal Cell Cancer Trial
- ZymoGenetics Begins Phase 2 Trial in Renal Cell Cancer Evaluating IL-21 Combined With Nexavar(R)
- ZymoGenetics Begins Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial With IL-21 and Nexavar in Patients With Renal Cell Cancer
- Cancer Risk Factors of Vietnamese Americans in Rural South Alabama
- New In Vitro Study of GlycoGenesys' GCS-100LE Yields Promising Data in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Other B-Cell Cancers
- Don't Let Your Fear of Cancer Lead to Death
- Pre-B Cell Colony-Enhancing Factor Inhibits Neutrophil Apoptosis in Experimental Inflammation and Clinical Sepsis
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds