Glycolytic metabolism in cultured cells of the nervous system

The transport and metabolism of glucose was examined in monolayers of C-6 glioma cells. 1) Glucose transport appeared to have both a low (Km = 7.74 mM) and a high (Km = 1.16 mM) affinity site in C-6cells; whereas 2-deoxyglucose had only one (Km = 3.7 mM). 2) A large portion of the accumulated glucose was rapidly metabolized to the two glycolytic end products, lactate and pyruvate, and then extruded into the medium. The temperature-dependent efflux of lactate and pyruvate was linear up to 2 hrs with 6 to 10 times more lactate being extruded into the medium than pyruvate. 3) The efflux of lactate and pyruvate increased with increasing extracellular (medium) pH. The presence of 5 percent CO2 not only inhibited the acid efflux but also inhibited the short-term uptake of glucose. The CO2 effect was attributed to a lowering of the medium pH since bicarbonate alone either increased or did not inhibit efflux. 4) Valinomycin increased the levels of cellular lactate but not those of pyruvate by almost three-fold. Lactate efflux was stimulated while that of pyruvate was inhibited. The addition of 5 percent CO2 increased the cellular levels of both lactate and pyruvate, but unlike valinomycin decreased the acid efflux. Idoacetate inhibited the acid efflux by 50 percent suggesting that glycolysis is necessary for efflux.