Treatment of gastrointestinal cancer by targeting the distinct energy metabolism of cancer cells

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Recently we discovered novel pathological roles for glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) in promoting cancer cell survival and proliferation via the modulation of cell cycle, tumor suppressor and cell immortality pathways. This has led us to propose GSK3β as a potential target for cancer treatment. A primary role for GSK3β is the control of glycogen synthase activity that switches glycogenesis and glycolysis, the two major pathways of glucose metabolism. In this research, we investigated whether GSK3β influences the aberrant glucose metabolism in gastrointestinal cancer cells. Using innovative metabolomic technology, we found a distinctive metabolic trait in cancer cells that suggests inhibition of GSK3β attenuates glycolysis (Warburg effect) and restores mitochondrial glucose oxidation.This trait could be an important molecular basis for cancer treatment targeting aberrant GSK3β.