Talk:Moreno-Sanchez 2022 Abstract Bioblast

Version 1

The experimental determination of the glycolytic and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) fluxes in cancer and non-cancer cells is analyzed. The steady-state energy metabolism fluxes are in turn used to estimate their respective contributions to the cellular ATP supply. The rate of lactate production, corrected for the fraction generated by glutaminolysis, is proposed as the more appropriate way to estimate glycolysis flux. Indeed, the glycolysis rates estimated for cancer cells are higher than those found in non-cancer cells, as originally observed by Otto Warburg. The rate of total cellular O₂ consumption corrected by using oligomycin, a specific, potent and permeable ATP synthase inhibitor, is proposed as the more appropriate way to estimate OXPHOS flux. Detecting non-negligible O₂ consumption rates in cancer cells has revealed that the mitochondrial function is not impaired, as claimed by the Warburg effect. Furthermore, when calculating the relative contributions to the cellular ATP supply, under a variety of environmental conditions and for several different types of cancer cells, it is found that OXPHOS is the main ATP provider over glycolysis. Hence, it is shown that to block ATP-dependent processes such as cellular migration in cancer cells, OXPHOS inhibitors can be successfully used. These observations may guide the re-design of novel targeted therapies.