AKT1 phosphorylation of cytoplasmic ME2 induces a metabolic switch to glycolysis for tumorigenesis.

Many types of tumors feature aerobic glycolysis for meeting their increased energetic and biosynthetic demands. However, it remains still unclear how this glycolytic phenomenon is achieved and coordinated with other metabolic pathways in tumor cells in response to growth stimuli. Here we report that activation of AKT1 induces a metabolic switch to glycolysis from the mitochondrial metabolism via phosphorylation of cytoplasmic malic enzyme 2 (ME2), named ME2fl (fl means full length), favoring an enhanced glycolytic phenotype. Mechanistically, in the cytoplasm, AKT1 phosphorylates ME2fl at serine 9 in the mitochondrial localization signal peptide at the N-terminus, preventing its mitochondrial translocation. Unlike mitochondrial ME2, which accounts for adjusting the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, ME2fl functions as a scaffold that brings together the key glycolytic enzymes phosphofructokinase (PFKL), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), as well as Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), to promote glycolysis in the cytosol. Thus, through phosphorylation of ME2fl, AKT1 enhances the glycolytic capacity of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo, revealing an unexpected role for subcellular translocation switching of ME2 mediated by AKT1 in the metabolic adaptation of tumor cells to growth stimuli.