생명과학과_I-Bio 신임교원 채용 후보 공개세미나 (3)
[Life Sciences_I-Bio Faculty Candidate Seminar Notice]
            
              
          ▶Subject: From nutrient to poison: serine/glycine metabolism and exploiting toxic metabolites

                           in cancer
            
          ▶Speaker: Dohooh Kim, Ph.D.(MIT)
                   
          ▶Date: 10:00~11:00 AM/July 27(Mon.)/2015
             
          ▶Place: Auditorium(1F), Postech Biotech Center
            
                  *Abctract
                Alterations in cellular metabolism can provide distinct advantages to cancer cells but also introduce liabilities that can be exploited for therapeutic effect. Here, we identify a key role for serine and glycine metabolism in the survival of brain cancer cells within the ischemic zones of gliomas. In human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), mitochondrial serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT2) and glycine decarboxylase (GLDC) are highly expressed in the pseudopalisading cells that surround ischemic foci. We find that SHMT2 activity limits that of pyruvate kinase (PKM2) and reduces oxygen consumption, eliciting a metabolic state that confers a profound survival advantage to cells in poorly vascularized tumor regions. However, GLDC inhibition selectively impairs cells with high SHMT2 levels as the excess glycine not metabolized by GLDC can be converted to the toxic molecules aminoacetone and methylglyoxal. Thus, SHMT2 is required for cancer cells to adapt to the tumor environment, but at the same time renders these cells sensitive to glycine cleavage system inhibition. Building on this example, I propose a novel approach in cancer therapy in which metabolic pathways can be manipulated to poison cells with their own metabolites.

          ▶Inquiry: Dept. of Life Sciences Tel: 279-2721, 8181