Illustration of a cut-away view of a cancer cell showing the cell membrane (across centre) and a mitochondrion (grey), the organelle that produces ene
Illustration of a cut-away view of a cancer cell showing the cell membrane (across centre) and a mitochondrion (grey), the organelle that produces energy for the cell. Cancer cells are rapidly growing cells and therefore have high energy needs. Metabolic reprogramming occurs to meet these needs and address a lack of oxygen (hypoxia) in the cellular environment. Cells generate energy via glycolysis, which occurs in the cytoplasm and uses pyruvate kinases (PK) to convert glucose to pyruvate, and the citric acid cycle in the mitochondria, which takes the pyruvate and reacts it with acetyl CoA to release energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Succinate and fumarate are intermediates in the citric acid cycle. Mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer leads to the build up of succinate and fumarate, which activates hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1a). The PK-M2 version of PK, which is found in tumour cells, pushes some pyruvate into the anaerobic respiration pathway, which produces lactate, another inducer of HIF-1A. HIF-1A allows tumours to proliferate under hypoxic conditions by promoting the uptake of glucose by a cell, glycolysis and the accumulation of lipids.
Size: 2700px × 3570px
Photo credit: © ***DEPENDS ON PIC***/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, artwork, background, bccp, biochemical, biochemistry, biotin, carboxylase, cgi, cytosolic, digitally, enzyme, filled, generated, human, illustration, mitochondrial, model, molecular, protein, pyruvate, space, space-filling, structural, structure, white
