Combined deletion of Glut1 and Glut3 impairs lung adenocarcinoma growth

• Published in: eLife 2020-06, Vol.9
• Main Authors: Contat, Caroline, Ancey, Pierre-Benoit, Zangger, Nadine, Sabatino, Silvia, Pascual, Justine, Escrig, Stéphane, Jensen, Louise, Goepfert, Christine, Lanz, Bernard, Lepore, Mario, Gruetter, Rolf, Rossier, Anouk, Berezowska, Sabina, Neppl, Christina, Zlobec, Inti, Clerc-Rosset, Stéphanie, Knott, Graham William, Rathmell, Jeffrey C, Abel, E Dale, Meibom, Anders, Meylan, Etienne
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma; Adenocarcinoma of Lung - physiopathology; Animals; Biomass; Cancer; Cancer Biology; Cell Line, Tumor; Development and progression; Electron microscopy; Female; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 - chemistry; Gene Deletion; Gene expression; genetically engineered mouse model of cancer; Genetically modified animals; Genomes; Glucose; Glucose - metabolism; Glucose transporter; Glucose Transporter Type 1 - genetics; Glucose Transporter Type 1 - metabolism; Glucose Transporter Type 2 - genetics; Glucose Transporter Type 2 - metabolism; glucose transporters; Growth; Humans; Hyperplasia; lamellar bodies; lung adenocarcinoma; Lung cancer; Male; Mass spectroscopy; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Mutation; NanoSIMS; Organelles; Positron emission tomography; Short Report; Spectrometry, Mass, Secondary Ion; Survival analysis; Tumor cells; Tumors
• ISSN: 2050-084X; 2050-084X
• DOI: 10.7554/eLife.53618

Glucose utilization increases in tumors, a metabolic process that is observed clinically by F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ( F-FDG-PET). However, is increased glucose uptake important for tumor cells, and which transporters are implicated in vivo? In a genetically-engineered mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma, we show that the deletion of only one highly expressed glucose transporter, Glut1 or Glut3, in cancer cells does not impair tumor growth, whereas their combined loss diminishes tumor development. F-FDG-PET analyses of tumors demonstrate that Glut1 and Glut3 loss decreases glucose uptake, which is mainly dependent on Glut1. Using C-glucose tracing with correlated nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) and electron microscopy, we also report the presence of lamellar body-like organelles in tumor cells accumulating glucose-derived biomass, depending partially on Glut1. Our results demonstrate the requirement for two glucose transporters in lung adenocarcinoma, the dual blockade of which could reach therapeutic responses not achieved by individual targeting.