Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026
08:27
Highly Sensitive and Rapid Fluorescence Detection with a Portable FRET Analyzer
Published on: October 1, 2016
Functional roles of fructose
Jinyoung Kim1, Gwonhwa Song, Guoyao Wu
1World Class University Biomodulation Major, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921, Korea.
Summary
Fructose, a key nutrient in pregnancy, significantly boosts pig trophectoderm cell proliferation and hyaluronic acid production by activating the hexosamine pathway and mTOR signaling. This research clarifies fructose
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Biology
- Cellular Metabolism
- Biochemistry
Background:
- During early pregnancy, pig blastocysts require nutrients (histotroph) for development.
- Fructose is abundant in ungulate fetal fluids, but its role in uterine histotroph is not well understood.
- Glucose is converted to fructose by conceptus trophectoderm cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of fructose in porcine trophectoderm cell proliferation and signaling.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which fructose affects these cells.
- To determine if fructose influences hyaluronic acid synthesis.
Main Methods:
- Porcine trophectoderm cells were used in cell culture experiments.
- Western blot analysis was employed to assess protein phosphorylation.
- Inhibitors of PI3K, mTOR, and GFPT1 (azaserine, GFPT1 siRNA) were utilized.
- The hexosamine biosynthesis pathway was investigated.
Main Results:
- Fructose, like glucose, increased porcine trophectoderm cell proliferation.
- Fructose rapidly increased the phosphorylation of RPS6K, EIF4EBP1, and RPS6.
- Fructose-induced signaling was dependent on PI3K, mTOR, and GFPT1 activation via the hexosamine pathway.
- Fructose stimulated hyaluronic acid production through the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway.
Conclusions:
- Fructose plays a critical role in supporting porcine trophectoderm cell proliferation.
- The hexosamine biosynthesis pathway mediates fructose's effects on mTOR signaling.
- Fructose stimulates the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, important for uterine function during pregnancy.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Glycolysis: Preparatory Phase
In cellular metabolism (the complete breakdown of glucose to extract energy), glycolysis is the first step. Glycolysis takes place in the cytoplasm of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Glucose enters heterotrophic cells in two ways. One method is through secondary active transport, where the transport takes place against the glucose concentration gradient. The other mechanism uses a group of integral proteins called GLUT proteins, also known as glucose transporter proteins. These...
01:31ATP Energy Storage and Release
ATP is a highly unstable molecule. Unless quickly used to perform work, ATP spontaneously dissociates into ADP and inorganic phosphate (Pi), and the free energy released during this process is lost as heat. The energy released by ATP hydrolysis is used to perform work inside the cell and depends on a strategy called energy coupling. Cells couple the exergonic reaction of ATP hydrolysis with endergonic reactions, allowing them to proceed.
One example of energy coupling using ATP involves a...
One example of energy coupling using ATP involves a...
01:20Energy-requiring Steps of Glycolysis
Glucose is the source of nearly all energy used by organisms. The first step of converting glucose into usable energy is called glycolysis. Glycolysis occurs in the cytosol of the cell over two phases: an energy-requiring phase and an energy-releasing phase. Over the first three steps, glucose is converted into different forms and attached to two phosphate groups donated by two ATP molecules, resulting in an unstable sugar. In the next two stages, the unstable sugar splits into two sugar...
01:20Fates of Pyruvate
Pyruvate is the end product of glycolysis, where glucose is oxidized to pyruvate, simultaneously reducing NAD+ to NADH. Two molecules of ATP are also produced by substrate-level phosphorylation.
In aerobic organisms, pyruvate is metabolized via the citric acid cycle to produce reduced coenzymes NADH and FADH2. These coenzymes are then oxidized in the electron transport chain to produce ATP and, in the process, regenerate the NAD+ and FAD. As seen in some cell types and organisms, fermentation...
In aerobic organisms, pyruvate is metabolized via the citric acid cycle to produce reduced coenzymes NADH and FADH2. These coenzymes are then oxidized in the electron transport chain to produce ATP and, in the process, regenerate the NAD+ and FAD. As seen in some cell types and organisms, fermentation...
01:34Introduction to Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are the primary macronutrients in the human diet. However, carbohydrates are the most favored source of energy in the body. They can be found in a wide variety of foods, including whole grains, fruit, and vegetables, in various forms, such as sugars, starch, and dietary fiber. Based on their structure, carbohydrates are classified into three main classes— monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. The body's cells can only utilize simple...
01:10Sugars as Energy Storage Molecules
Sugar (a simple carbohydrate) metabolism (chemical reactions) is a classic example of the many cellular processes that use and produce energy. Living things consume sugar as a major energy source because sugar molecules have considerable energy stored within their bonds. Consumed carbohydrates have their origins in photosynthesizing organisms like plants. During photosynthesis, plants use the energy of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide gas into sugar molecules, like glucose. Because this...