RESULTS

A proposed linkage of cancer metabolism and epigenetic alterations (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 111, 15526, 2014)

In collaboration with the Department of Surgery, Osaka University (Profs. Masaki Mori and Yuichiro Doki), Hamabe et al. showed that pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), an alternatively spliced variant of the pyruvate kinase gene, mediates epithelial?mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is critical for aggressive cancer phenotypes. The study demonstrates that EMT stimulates nuclear translocation of PKM2 and controls transcription mechanism. The present study shows a role of pyruvate kinase M2 in transcriptional regulation leading to EMT. The precise understanding of nuclear PKM2 function suggests the potential for a model preventing metastasis of colorectal cancer.