Talk:Sobotka 2022 Abstract Bioblast

Comments by the Reviewer

Moreno-Sanchez Rafael 2022-05-31

• The abstract consists of a short recount of events/concepts on glucose metabolism, but it is difficult to foresee what was the scientific goal of this work. No experimental data are displayed/disclosed either. It would be beneficial whether the authors outline at least some of these absent aspects in their abstract.

Version 1

Glucose (Glc) and its polymers are the most abundant organic molecules in nature. It is produced by green plants out of CO2, water and energy from the sun. Glc is the foundation to many other molecules (e.g., nucleic acids, amino acids, lipids, mucopolysaccharides) and plays a crucial role in the formation of reducing equivalents necessary for anabolic, antioxidative, immune, and other processes. Our cells can also oxidize Glc to gain energy in the form of ATP but due to limited supplies in the human body it is used preferably for non-oxidative metabolism.

Anabolic pathways such as the pentose phosphate pathway require fuel in the form of Glc. During anabolism, an incomplete oxidation and continuous turnover of Glc/lactate occurs the level of the whole organism. This turnover is higher during growth, pregnancy and regeneration but also during inflammation, oxidative stress and other stressful situations.

Almost one hundred years ago, Crabtree showed that various dividing cells metabolise Glc to lactate despite functional mitochondria and sufficient oxygen. This pathway is preferred over complete Glc oxidation despite full enzymatic equipment for oxidative phosphorylation. This phenomenon was called the Crabtree effect.

In our organism, part of Glc is completely oxidized if the dietary intake is higher than the requirements for non-oxidative anabolic pathways. Low Glu oxidation and insulin resistance indicate that intake is lower than requirements for non-oxidative pathways. Therefore, aerobic glycolysis due to Crabtree effect may indicate higher needs of carbohydrates during nutritional support.