Mérida Isabel, Avila-Flores Antonia
Department of Immunology and Oncology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología/CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
Clin Transl Oncol. 2006 Oct;8(10):711-6. doi: 10.1007/s12094-006-0117-6.
Mammalian cells depend on extracellular input for the regulation of growth, proliferation and survival. Cancer cells evade these requirements, and are able to take up nutrients in a cell-autonomous fashion, which allows continuous growth and proliferation. To fulfill the high bioenergetic demands imposed by transformation, tumors must develop alternative mechanisms of energy production. Accordingly, the biochemical signature of cancer cells involves a shift to aerobic glycolysis, also known as the "Warburg effect". This property of cancer cells has resulted of great utility in modern medicine for detection of early tumors by positron-emission scanning. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanisms and contribution of the Warburg effect to the malignant phenotype have remained obscure. Thanks to recent advances in cancer research, we are beginning to understand the link between cancer genetics and the abnormal use of glucose by tumors. A new scenario is thus emerging, in which bioenergetics would contribute to and sustain malignant transformation. These findings are not only important for a better understanding of tumorigenesis; tumor reliance on glycolysis can be exploited in the search for novel, more potent therapeutic approaches to cancer treatment.
哺乳动物细胞依赖细胞外信号来调节生长、增殖和存活。癌细胞规避了这些需求，能够以细胞自主的方式摄取营养物质，从而实现持续生长和增殖。为了满足转化所带来的高生物能量需求，肿瘤必须发展出替代的能量产生机制。因此，癌细胞的生化特征涉及向有氧糖酵解的转变，也称为“瓦伯格效应”。癌细胞的这一特性在现代医学中对于通过正电子发射扫描检测早期肿瘤具有很大的实用价值。尽管如此，瓦伯格效应的潜在机制及其对恶性表型的贡献仍然不清楚。由于癌症研究的最新进展，我们开始理解癌症遗传学与肿瘤对葡萄糖的异常利用之间的联系。因此，一个新的情况正在出现，即生物能量学可能有助于并维持恶性转化。这些发现不仅对于更好地理解肿瘤发生很重要；肿瘤对糖酵解的依赖可用于寻找新的、更有效的癌症治疗方法。
