Analysis of a promoter polymorphism of the GLUT1 gene in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

The glucose transporter isoform 1 (GLUT1) is a key rate-limiting factor in the transport and metabolism of glucose in cancer cells. Recently, we found that Glut1 expression is increased in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and promotes tumorigenesis. Hypoxia further increased GLUT1 expression in HCC cells, and this induction was dependent on the activation of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha. The promoter region of the GLUT1 gene harbours a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) closely positioned to a putative HIF-1alpha binding site, and recently, it has been shown that the frequency o…