Glucose transporter isoform 1 (GLUT1) expression enhances formation and growth of hepatic metastases

The facilitative glucose transporter isoform 1 (GLUT1) is the key rate-limiting factor in glucose transport into cancer cells. High portal glucose levels may be one of the factors supporting tumor growth and progression in hepatic tissue, and we have previously shown that GLUT1 is a tumor-promotor in hepatocellular carcinoma, while its expression is at the detection limit in normal hepatocytes. The aim of this study was to analyze whether GLUT1 expression and a high capacity for glucose uptake, respectively, is a general pro-cancerogenic factor of the liver. For that, we used malignant melanoma as a model-tumor,…