Glycolytic ATP Fuels the Plasma Membrane Calcium Pump Critical for Pancreatic Cancer Cell Survival*

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Cancer cells rapidly proliferate and are resistant to cell death due, in part, to a shift from mitochondrial metabolism to glycolysis. We hypothesized that this shift is important in regulating cytosolic Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i), as the ATP-dependent plasma membrane Ca(2+) ATPase (PMCA) is critical for maintaining low [Ca(2+)]i and thus cell survival. The …