Slc2a1, also known as solute carrier family 2 member 1, encodes glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1), which is crucial for glucose metabolism. GLUT1 facilitates the transport of glucose across cell membranes, playing a vital role in energy supply for cell growth. It is involved in pathways like glycolysis metabolism [1].

In lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), Slc2a1 is differentially expressed between tumor and normal tissues, with high expression associated with worse survival and poor response to adjuvant immunochemotherapy. It promotes macrophage polarization into the M2 phenotype [1]. In hepatocellular carcinoma, isoginkgetin suppresses Slc2a1 expression, leading to activation of the AMPK-ULK1 axis and autophagy [2]. In gastric cancer, high Slc2a1 expression is linked to poor prognosis, cancer cell proliferation, and decreased CD8 T cells and B cells [3]. In pancreatic cancer, FOXD1 promotes Slc2a1 transcription and inhibits its degradation, enhancing GLUT1 expression and facilitating cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis [4].

In conclusion, Slc2a1 is essential for glucose transport and metabolism in cells. Its dysregulation is associated with multiple diseases, especially various cancers. Understanding Slc2a1 through functional studies, including in vivo studies with potential gene knockout models, could provide insights into disease mechanisms and offer new strategies for treatment in cancer and other related conditions [1,2,3,4].

References:

1. Hao, Bo, Dong, Huixing, Xiong, Rui, Li, Ning, Geng, Qing. 2024. Identification of SLC2A1 as a predictive biomarker for survival and response to immunotherapy in lung squamous cell carcinoma. In Computers in biology and medicine, 171, 108183. doi:10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108183. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38422959/

2. Yao, Jie, Tang, Shuming, Shi, Chenyan, Tian, Jun, Zeng, Xiaobin. 2022. Isoginkgetin, a potential CDK6 inhibitor, suppresses SLC2A1/GLUT1 enhancer activity to induce AMPK-ULK1-mediated cytotoxic autophagy in hepatocellular carcinoma. In Autophagy, 19, 1221-1238. doi:10.1080/15548627.2022.2119353. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36048765/

3. Min, Kyueng-Whan, Kim, Dong-Hoon, Son, Byoung Kwan, Koh, Young Wha, Oh, Il Hwan. 2021. High SLC2A1 expression associated with suppressing CD8 T cells and B cells promoted cancer survival in gastric cancer. In PloS one, 16, e0245075. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0245075. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33735188/

4. Cai, Kun, Chen, Shiyu, Zhu, Changhao, He, Zhiwei, Sun, Chengyi. 2022. FOXD1 facilitates pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis by regulating GLUT1-mediated aerobic glycolysis. In Cell death & disease, 13, 765. doi:10.1038/s41419-022-05213-w. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36057597/