title: The Warburg Effect: How Does it Benefit Cancer Cells?
abstract: Cancer cells rewire their metabolism to promote growth, survival, proliferation, and long-term maintenance. The common feature of this altered metabolism is the increased glucose uptake and fermentation of glucose to lactate. This phenomenon is observed even in the presence of completely functioning mitochondria and, together, is known as the 'Warburg Effect'. The Warburg Effect has been documented for over 90 years and extensively studied over the past 10 years, with thousands of papers reporting to have established either its causes or its functions. Despite this intense interest, the function of the Warburg Effect remains unclear. Here, we analyze several proposed explanations for the function of Warburg Effect, emphasize their rationale, and discuss their controversies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Maria V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Liberti
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC, USA. Electronic address: jason.locasale@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Jason W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Locasale
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009243:NAD / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D009243:NAD; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D005947:Glucose
keywords: ATP synthesis; ROS; Warburg Effect; chromatin remodeling; microenvironment acidification