February
2,
2018
Jason Tennessen, PhD
Assistant Professor
Indiana University
Department of Biology
Host: Arash Bashirullah
The metabolism of proliferating cancer cells not only generates energy, but also synthesizes the biomolecules required for growth. In response to these metabolic demands, cancer cells rely on a metabolic program known as aerobic glycolysis, which synthesizes biomass from carbohydrates. The manner by which cancer cells rely on glucose metabolism suggests that this metabolic state could be exploited for therapeutic intervention and has become a focal point in cancer research. I have discovered that the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster also uses aerobic glycolysis to promote growth and have established the fly as a model for studying the genetic mechanisms that regulate this metabolic program. I will discuss how my lab is using this system to both identify novel regulators of aerobic glycolysis and explore conserved mechanism of oncometabolite synthesis.
