Role of Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in tumor growth, cancer cell migration and tumor angiogenesis

Introduction: The pyruvate kinase isoforms PKM1 and PKM2 are alternatively spliced products of the pkm2 gene. PKM2, but not PKM1, is expressed in highly proliferating cells such as embryonic cells and all cancer cells reported to date. PKM2 has been reported to alter glucose metabolism in cancer cells and to contribute to tumorigenesis by mechanisms that are not explained by its known biochemical activity. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the implication of Pyruvate kinase M2 isoform in pancreas tumor growth and tumor angiogenesis. Results: RNAi-mediated depletion of PKM2 in three independent human…