PFKP phenotype in lung cancer: prognostic potential and beyond

Rapid utilization of glucose is a functional marker of cancer cells, and has been exploited in the clinical diagnosis of malignancies using imaging technology. Biochemically, an increase in the rate of glycolysis, (i.e.) the process of conversion of glucose into pyruvate accelerates the net rate of glucose consumption. One of the critical determinants of glycolytic flux is the enzyme, phosphofructokinase (PFK) which converts fructose-6-phosphate into fructose 1,6, bisphosphate. PFK activity is allosterically inhibited or upregulated by cellular ATP or AMP, respectively. In a recent report of Cellular Oncology, Shen et al., have investigated one of the forms of PFK known as the platelet-type PFK (PFKP) in lung cancer. Using clinical samples as well as experimental models the authors unravel the cancer-related roles of PFKP and demonstrate that PFKP phenotype may predict the prognosis of lung cancer. In this letter, the findings are discussed in the light of recent research to expand the potential application and clinical impact of PFKP phenotype in lung cancer.