AKT-mediated enhanced aerobic glycolysis causes acquired radioresistance by human tumor cells.

Tsutomu Shimura, Naoto Noma, Yui Sano, Yasushi Ochiai, Toshiyuki Oikawa, Manabu Fukumoto, Naoki Kunugita

Index: Radiother. Oncol. 112(2) , 302-7, (2014)

Full Text: HTML

Abstract

Cellular radioresistance is a major impediment to effective radiotherapy. Here, we demonstrated that long-term exposure to fractionated radiation conferred acquired radioresistance to tumor cells due to AKT-mediated enhanced aerobic glycolysis.Two human tumor cell lines with acquired radioresistance were established by long-term exposure to fractionated radiation with 0.5 Gy of X-rays. Glucose uptake was inhibited using 2-deoxy-D-glucose, a non-metabolizable glucose analog. Aerobic glycolysis was assessed by measuring lactate concentrations. Cells were then used for assays of ROS generation, survival, and cell death as assessed by annexin V staining.Enhanced aerobic glycolysis was shown by increased glucose transporter Glut1 expression and a high lactate production rate in acquired radioresistant cells compared with parental cells. Inhibiting the AKT pathway using the AKT inhibitor API-2 abrogated these phenomena. Moreover, we found that inhibiting glycolysis with 2-deoxy-D-glucose suppressed acquired tumor cell radioresistance.Long-term fractionated radiation confers acquired radioresistance to tumor cells by AKT-mediated alterations in their glucose metabolic pathway. Thus, tumor cell metabolic pathway is an attractive target to eliminate radioresistant cells and improve radiotherapy efficacy.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.