Question

The Warburg Effect refers to the observation that:

a. Broken tumour cells can carry out glycolysis

b. Broken tumour cells can carry out oxidative phosphorylation even at low oxygen concentrations

c. Tumour cells have high rates of anaerobic-type glycolysis (glucose → lactate) even in the presence of high oxygen concentrations

d. Tumour cells have high rates of aerobic-type glycolysis (glucose → pyruvate) even in the presence of low oxygen concentrations

Please explain

Answer 1

Broken tumour cells can carry out glycolysis - Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is through which normal cells primarily produce energy. But, most cancer cells produce their energy through a high rate of glycolysis followed by lactic acid fermentation even in the presence of abundant oxygen, this is called aerobic glycolysis, also known as the Warburg effect. The Warburg effect may be due to the damage of the mitochondria (broken tumor cells) in cancer or as an adaptation to low-oxygen environments within tumors or a result of cancer genes shutting down the mitochondria which are involved in the apoptosis mechanism of the cells that kills cancer cells. Since glycolysis provides most of the building blocks required for cell proliferation, cancer cells need to activate glycolysis, despite the presence of oxygen to proliferate.