Abstract
Rapidly proliferating solid tumor cells are often dependent on glycolysis for ATP production even in normoxia (the Warburg effect), however it is not yet clear whether acute leukemias have a similarly increased dependence on aerobic glycolysis. We report that all acute leukemia subtypes (pre-B ALL, T-ALL and AML) demonstrated growth arrest and cell death when treated the novel glycolysis inhibitor 3-BrOP. Potentiated ATP depletion and pro-apoptotic effects were seen for 3-BrOP combinations with the cytochrome-c-reductase inhibitor antimycin A and the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin. These results reveal a potential role for glycolysis inhibition in acute leukemia subtypes and suggest potential combinations.