Farooq, Z.; Ismail, H.; Bhat, S.A.; Layden, B.T.; Khan, M.W. Aiding Cancer’s “Sweet Tooth”: Role of Hexokinases in Metabolic Reprogramming. Life2023, 13, 946.
Farooq, Z.; Ismail, H.; Bhat, S.A.; Layden, B.T.; Khan, M.W. Aiding Cancer’s “Sweet Tooth”: Role of Hexokinases in Metabolic Reprogramming. Life 2023, 13, 946.
Farooq, Z.; Ismail, H.; Bhat, S.A.; Layden, B.T.; Khan, M.W. Aiding Cancer’s “Sweet Tooth”: Role of Hexokinases in Metabolic Reprogramming. Life2023, 13, 946.
Farooq, Z.; Ismail, H.; Bhat, S.A.; Layden, B.T.; Khan, M.W. Aiding Cancer’s “Sweet Tooth”: Role of Hexokinases in Metabolic Reprogramming. Life 2023, 13, 946.
Abstract
Hexokinases (HKs) convert hexose sugars to hexose-6-phosphate, thus trapping them inside cells to meet the synthetic and energetic demands. HKs participate in various standard and altered physiological processes, including cancer, primarily through the reprogramming of cellular metabolism. Four canonical HKs have been identified with different expression patterns across tissues. HKs 1-3 play a role in glucose utilization, whereas HK 4 (glucokinase, GCK) also acts as a glucose sensor. Recently, a novel 5th HK, hexokinase domain containing 1 (HKDC1), has been identified, which plays a role in whole-body glucose utilization and insulin sensitivity. Beyond the metabolic functions, HKDC1 is differentially expressed in many forms of human cancer. This review focuses on the role of HKs, particularly HKDC1, in metabolic reprogramming and cancer progression.
Keywords
Cancer metabolism; HKDC1; Hexokinases; glucose metabolism; metabolic reprogramming
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Oncology and Oncogenics
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
