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Review
. 2021 Apr;32(4):198-211.
doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2020.12.006. Epub 2021 Jan 28.

Hexose Transporters in Cancer: From Multifunctionality to Diagnosis and Therapy

Carolina Echeverría  1 , Francisco Nualart  2 , Luciano Ferrada  3 , Gary J Smith  4 , Alejandro S Godoy  5
Affiliations
Review

Hexose Transporters in Cancer: From Multifunctionality to Diagnosis and Therapy

Carolina Echeverría et al. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Cancer cells increase their metabolic activity by enhancing glucose uptake through overexpression of hexose transporters (Gluts). Gluts also have the capacity to transport other molecules besides glucose, including fructose, mannose, and dehydroascorbic acid (DHA), the oxidized form of vitamin C. The majority of research studies in this field have focused on the role of glucose transport and metabolism in cancer, leaving a substantial gap in our knowledge of the contribution of other hexoses and DHA in cancer biology. Here, we summarize the most recent advances in understanding the role that the multifunctional transport capacity of Gluts plays in biological and clinical aspects of cancer, and how these characteristics can be exploited in the search for novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: cancer metabolism; dehydroascorbic acid; fructose; glucose; glucose transporters; mannose.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interests The authors have no interests to declare.

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