Pyruvate kinase isoform expression alters nucleotide synthesis to impact cell proliferation

Sophia Y. Lunt, Vinayak Muralidhar, Aaron M. Hosios, William J. Israelsen, Dan Y. Gui, Lauren Newhouse, Martin Ogrodzinski, Vivian Hecht, Kali Xu, Paula N.Marín Acevedo, Daniel P. Hollern, Gary Bellinger, Talya L. Dayton, Stefan Christen, Ilaria Elia, Anh T. Dinh, Gregory Stephanopoulos, Scott R. Manalis, Michael B. Yaffe, Eran R. AndrechekSarah Maria Fendt, Matthew G. Vander Heiden

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

208 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Metabolic regulation influences cell proliferation. The influence of pyruvate kinase isoforms on tumor cells has been extensively studied, but whether PKM2 is required for normal cell proliferation is unknown. We examine how PKM2 deletion affects proliferation and metabolism in nontransformed, nonimmortalized PKM2-expressing primary cells. We find that deletion of PKM2 in primary cells results in PKM1 expression and proliferation arrest. PKM1 expression, rather than PKM2 loss, is responsible for this effect, and proliferation arrest cannot be explained by cell differentiation, senescence, death, changes in gene expression, or prevention of cell growth. Instead, PKM1 expression impairs nucleotide production and the ability to synthesize DNA and progress through the cell cycle. Nucleotide biosynthesis is limiting, as proliferation arrest is characterized by severe thymidine depletion, and supplying exogenous thymine rescues both nucleotide levels and cell proliferation. Thus, PKM1 expression promotes a metabolic state that is unable to support DNA synthesis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)95-107
Number of pages13
JournalMolecular Cell
Volume57
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Jan 2015
Externally publishedYes

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