Amino acids and glucose utilization by different metabolic pathways in ascites-tumour cells

The utilization of amino acids and glucose by ascites tumour cells has been studied in order to elucidate which are their relative roles as energy substrates or building blocks for biosynthetic purposes, as well as the quantitative contribution of the different metabolic pathways involved. 1. Glucose is utilized at a rate of 1.1 mumol x min-1 x g cells-1. 93% is transformed into lactate, 0.7% used by the pentose phosphate pathway, 1.5% by the tricarboxylic acid cycle and 2% is for lipid synthesis. 2. ATP production is derived: 78% from glucose conversion into lactate, 1% from glucose oxidation and 19% from glutamine oxidation. 3. Glucose starvation, in the presence of all amino acids, leads to a 70% decrease in the rate of protein synthesis, due to the drop in ATP levels. 4. Pentose phosphate pathway flux increases by 75% when glycolysing cells are incubated in the presence of all amino acids. 5. Pyruvate is decarboxylated at a rate of 66 nmol x min-1 x g cells-1, 45-80% of it is incorporated into lipids instead of being oxidized, depending on the incubation conditions. 6. Non-essential amino acids (aspartate and glutamate) are oxidized at a low rate. Glutamine is oxidized at a rate 20-times and 35-times that of glucose and glutamate respectively. Glutamine can not replace glucose as the main energy source. 7. Leucine utilization, 28 nmol x min-1 x g cells-1, is very high compared with normal cells, due to the high rate of lipid and protein synthesis. Its oxidation is similar to that of non-tumoural cells. 8. Sterols account for 80% of the lipids synthesized either from leucine or glucose.