Isotype‐specific inhibitors of the glycolytic key regulator pyruvate kinase subtype M2 moderately decelerate tumor cell proliferation

Tumor cells express the glycolytic regulator pyruvate kinase subtype M2 (M2‐PK), which can occur in a tetrameric form with high affinity to its substrate phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) and a dimeric form with a low PEP affinity. The transition between both conformations contributes to the control of glycolysis and is important for tumor cell proliferation and survival. Here we targeted M2‐PK by synthetic peptide aptamers, which specifically bind to M2‐PK and shift the isoenzyme into its low affinity dimeric conformation. The aptamer‐induced dimerization and inactivation of M2‐PK led to a significant decrease in the PK mass‐action ratio as well as ATP:ADP ratio in the target cells. Furthermore, the expression of M2‐PK‐binding peptide aptamers moderately reduced the growth of immortalized NIH3T3 cell populations by decelerating cell proliferation, but without affecting apoptotic cell death. Moreover, the M2‐PK‐binding peptide aptamers also reduced the proliferation rate of human U‐2 OS osteosarcoma cells. In the present study, we developed the first specific inhibitors of the pyruvate kinase isoenzyme type M2 and present evidence that these inhibitors moderately decelerate tumor cell proliferation. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.