For almost a hundred years ago is known that cancer cells feel a special
appetite for a type of sugar called glucose. The tumor uses this
molecule is like the gasoline which depends a sports car to burn faster
and grows and multiplies rapidly. It is a little cash process from the
energy point of view but allows a superaccelerated cancer cell division.
It is what is known as the Warburg effect, which was described in 1927.
Until now little was known
about how healthy cells that have a balanced energy consumption depend
on this "fast food" calorie in the tumor cell. An article
published in Nature Communications led by Manel Esteller,
Director of Epigenetics and Cancer Biology, Bellvitge Biomedical
Research Institute (IDIBELL), ICREA researcher and Professor of Genetics
at the University of Barcelona, provides an important clue to
understand this process. Research shows that in one in four human
tumors, there is an excess of glucose receptors in the external face of
the cell membrane and this protein acts as a magnet attracting all the
glucose from the bloodstream.
"We were looking for genes that did
not work in tumor cells and we found an altered one, but unaware what
his function. we discovered that it was responsible for removing excess
of glucose receptors" explained Esteller . "So what happens is that the
gene that should degrade glucose receptor is inactivated in sound
condition and quit, this tumor has an overactivation of this receptor
that captures all the glucose molecules around it and used to obtain
quick energy to proliferate. It is a cancer that has become addicted to
this caloric molecule. "
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