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Cancer cells are almost 20x less efficient in producing ATP compared to normal cells. Cancer cells make up for this deficiency by increasing glucose import through GLUT up-regulation. These cells use a great amount of the cells oxygen which contributes to their reliance on glucose as an energy source and low ATP availability. Intermediates formed during glycolysis are used by cancer cells to proliferate.
Cancer cells can also for a symbiosis where one type secrete lactate and the other type ingest the lactate as a source of energy (using a partial citric acid cycle). There is some debate on what allows cancer cells to develop this characteristic, some suggesting that it could be due to a mutation in a protein/enzyme, such as IDH (iso-citrate-dehydrogenase) in the case of some glioma cells or in issue with transcription factors.
Studying how cancer cells might arise and how they survive are important to developing effective treatments against them.
Q: What current therapies target cancer cell metabolism and are they selective in not harming normal cells?
Hanahan, D., & Weinberg, R. A. (2011). Hallmarks of cancer: the next generation. cell, 144(5), 646-674.
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