Publications by authors named "Christian S Earl"
Article Synopsis
- Metabolic changes are crucial for the growth of tumor cells, but the processes behind how tumors start, especially in colorectal cancer (CRC), are not well understood.
- In early stages of CRC, there is a specific increase in glycolysis and a decrease in a protein called mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC), which plays a key role in linking glycolysis to glucose metabolism in mitochondria.
- Studies show that inhibiting MPC leads to more tumors in mouse models, indicating that the regulation of pyruvate metabolism is vital for starting cancer development.
Most differentiated cells convert glucose to pyruvate in the cytosol through glycolysis, followed by pyruvate oxidation in the mitochondria. These processes are linked by the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC), which is required for efficient mitochondrial pyruvate uptake. In contrast, proliferative cells, including many cancer and stem cells, perform glycolysis robustly but limit fractional mitochondrial pyruvate oxidation.
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