GLYCOLYSIS AND GROWTH-RATE IN NORMAL AND IN HEXOKINASE-TRANSFECTED NIH-3T3 CELLS

The glycolytic enzyme hexokinase plays a key role in regulating cell e nergy metabolism. Its activity has been associated with cell growth ra te and, notably, with neoplastic transformation. NIH-3T3 cells were tr ansfected with a tumor hexokinase cDNA. The transfected cells showed i ncreased hexokinase amount and activity, mainly located in the particu late cellular fraction, increased glycolytic rate evaluated as lactate production, and, finally, enhanced growth rate. These data may sugges t that high hexokinase activity might be not merely the consequence of peculiar metabolic demands by actively replicating normal or cancer c ells, but also a modification able per se to drive, at least partially , a more intense mitotic activity.