Disease stage-specific role of the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier suppresses differentiation in temozolomide and radiation-treated glioblastoma

Disease stage-specific role of the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier suppresses differentiation in temozolomide and radiation-treated glioblastoma

Emma Martell , Helgi Kuzmychova , Harshal Senthil , Ujala Chawla , Esha Kaul , Akaljot Grewal , Versha Banerji , Christopher M Anderson , Chitra Venugopal , Donald Miller , Tamra E Werbowetski-Ogilvie , Sheila K Singh , Tanveer Sharif

The mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC), a central metabolic conduit linking glycolysis and mitochondrial metabolism, is instrumental in energy production. However, the role of the MPC in cancer is controversial. In particular, the importance of the MPC in glioblastoma (GBM) disease progression following standard temozolomide (TMZ) and radiation therapy (RT) remains unexplored.

Our findings demonstrate the critical role of the MPC in mediating GBM aggressiveness and molecular evolution following standard TMZ-RT treatment, illuminating a therapeutically-relevant metabolic vulnerability to potentially improve survival outcomes for GBM patients.

Images taken on MRS*DRYMAG 7017  at the University of Manitoba, Canada.

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