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In 2012 research by scientists at Cancer Research UK’s London Research Institute show that an enzyme called PFKFB4 is essential for balancing these two processes – making sure the cell’s energy needs are met without allowing free radicals to build up and trigger cell death.
Study leader Dr. Almut Schulze, said: “Our study suggests that PFKFB4 acts to fine-tune the process by which cells convert glucose into energy. Blocking this enzyme in prostate cancer cells grown in the lab stalled growth and triggered a catastrophic build-up of free-radicals, suggesting that it could be a suitable drug target. Importantly, this route to energy production is common to many different types of cancer, suggesting that drugs to target it could potentially be used to treat a variety of cancers.”[3]
References
↑Sakai A, Kato M, Fukasawa M, Ishiguro M, Furuya E, Sakakibara R (March 1996). "Cloning of cDNA encoding for a novel isozyme of fructose 6-phosphate, 2-kinase/fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase from human placenta". Journal of Biochemistry. 119 (3): 506–11. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a021270. PMID8830046.
↑Manzano A, Pérez JX, Nadal M, Estivill X, Lange A, Bartrons R (March 1999). "Cloning, expression and chromosomal localization of a human testis 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase gene". Gene. 229 (1–2): 83–9. doi:10.1016/S0378-1119(99)00037-2. PMID10095107.
↑Ros S, Santos CR, Moco S, Baenke F, Kelly G, Howell M, Zamboni N, Schulze A (April 2012). "Functional metabolic screen identifies 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 4 as an important regulator of prostate cancer cell survival". Cancer Discovery. 2 (4): 328–43. doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-11-0234. PMID22576210.
Further reading
Pilkis SJ, Claus TH, Kurland IJ, Lange AJ (1995). "6-Phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase: a metabolic signaling enzyme". Annual Review of Biochemistry. 64 (1): 799–835. doi:10.1146/annurev.bi.64.070195.004055. PMID7574501.
Gómez M, Manzano A, Navarro-Sabaté A, Duran J, Obach M, Perales JC, Bartrons R (January 2005). "Specific expression of pfkfb4 gene in spermatogonia germ cells and analysis of its 5'-flanking region". FEBS Letters. 579 (2): 357–62. doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2004.11.096. PMID15642344.
Minchenko OH, Ochiai A, Opentanova IL, Ogura T, Minchenko DO, Caro J, Komisarenko SV, Esumi H (November 2005). "Overexpression of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase-4 in the human breast and colon malignant tumors". Biochimie. 87 (11): 1005–10. doi:10.1016/j.biochi.2005.04.007. PMID15925437.
Minchenko O, Opentanova I, Minchenko D, Ogura T, Esumi H (October 2004). "Hypoxia induces transcription of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase-4 gene via hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha activation". FEBS Letters. 576 (1–2): 14–20. doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2004.08.053. PMID15474002.
Bobarykina AY, Minchenko DO, Opentanova IL, Moenner M, Caro J, Esumi H, Minchenko OH (2006). "Hypoxic regulation of PFKFB-3 and PFKFB-4 gene expression in gastric and pancreatic cancer cell lines and expression of PFKFB genes in gastric cancers". Acta Biochimica Polonica. 53 (4): 789–99. PMID17143338.
Ros S, Santos CR, Moco S, Baenke F, Kelly G, Howell M, Zamboni N, Schulze A (2012). "Functional metabolic screen identifies 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 4 as an important regulator of prostate cancer cell survival". Cancer Discovery. 2 (4): 328–43. doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-11-0234. PMID22576210.
