Abstract 1455: FAK overexpression upregulates glucose metabolism in glioblastoma

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive brain cancer, afflicting nearly 1 in 6 adult patients with brain tumors. Currently, no effective curative treatment for this CNS neoplasm exists. The high prevalence and dismal prognosis of GBM increases the need to identify novel therapeutic targets. Previous research has suggested that increased expression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) may play a role in tumor metabolism. Our preliminary data using datamining approach of the TCGA and Oncomine™ databases showed that mRNA levels of FAK correlate with expression levels of the glucose transporter GLUT1. Subsequent mass-spectrometric and immunoprecipitation experiments provided evidence that FAK binds to GLUT1, while immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry experiments confirmed their interaction. Western blot analysis using shRNA to silence FAK demonstrated a significant decrease in GLUT1 expression. Cells treated with the same FAK shRNA showed decreased metabolites from anaerobic glycolysis, instead relying on oxygen-dependent metabolism utilizing oxidative phosphorylation for their energy supply. Collectively, we propose that FAK is a viable target in modulating glucose uptake and metabolism in GBM. Citation Format: Kiran Kumar Velpula, Michael Pajor, Maheedhara R. Guda, Collin M. Labak, Simon Park, Andrew J. Tsung. FAK overexpression upregulates glucose metabolism in glioblastoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1455.