mTORC2‐AKT signaling to PFKFB2 activates glycolysis that enhances stemness and tumorigenicity of intestinal epithelial cells

Abstract

Although elevated glycolysis has been widely recognized as a hallmark for highly proliferating cells like stem cells and cancer, its regulatory mechanisms are still being updated. Here, we found a previously unappreciated mechanism of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) in regulating glycolysis in intestinal stem cell maintenance and cancer progression. mTORC2 key subunits expression levels and its kinase activity were specifically upregulated in intestinal stem cells, mouse intestinal tumors, and human colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues. Genetic ablation of its key scaffolding protein Rictor in both mouse models and cell lines revealed that mTORC2 played an important role in promoting intestinal stem cell proliferation and self‐renewal. Moreover, utilizing mouse models and organoid culture, mTORC2 loss of function was shown to impair growth of gut adenoma and tumor organoids. Based on these findings, we performed RNA‐seq and noticed significant metabolic reprogramming in Rictor conditional knockout mice. Among all the pathways, carbohydrate metabolism was most profoundly altered, and further studies demonstrated that mTORC2 promoted glycolysis in intestinal epithelial cells. Most importantly, we showed that a rate‐limiting enzyme in regulating glycolysis, 6‐phosphofructo‐2‐kinase (PFKFB2), was a direct target for the mTORC2‐AKT signaling. PFKFB2 was phosphorylated upon mTORC2 activation, but not mTORC1, and this process was AKT‐dependent. Together, this study has identified a novel mechanism underlying mTORC2 activated glycolysis, offering potential therapeutic targets for treating CRC.