Metabolic Features of Lymphoblastoid and Myeloma Cells: Commonality and Differences

Glucose is the main source of energy for most cells. Glucose transport across the cytoplasmic membrane is known to be mediated by a family of glucose transporters (GLUTs). Therefore, studying the regulation of the GLUTs gene expression at different glucose levels in human multiple myeloma cells is relevant. The total amount of ATP was determined using a bioluminescent assay. Gene expression was analyzed using qRT-PCR. It has been established that the metabolism of lymphoblastoid cells IM9 (CD138+, CD38-), as well as myeloma lines RPMI8226 (CD138+, CD38++) and H929 (CD138+, CD38+++), depends on the availability of glucose. These cell lines exhibited glucose-dependent ATP synthesis, which was higher in RPMI8226 and H929 cells than in IM9 cells. GLUT1 mRNA was found to be overexpressed under glucose deficiency in RPMI8226 and H929 cells, but GLUT3 mRNA was overexpressed in IM9 cells. It was shown that the GLUT1 gene is sensitive to glucose levels in RPMI8226 and H929 cells, and the GLUT3 gene is sensitive to glucose in lymphoblastoid cells. It was found that during glucose deprivation, the GLUT2 gene is sensitive to glucose and overexpressed in all types of cells, while the GLUT4 gene is insensitive to glucose.