Figure 7:

AMPK and metformin play an important role in cell proliferation and clonogenicity. Proliferation of AMPK-deficient MCF7 and MDA-MB231 cells challenged with 20mM metformin with or without 2.5mM pyruvate assessed for 9 days. (a): MCF7 proliferation was reduced by metformin and rescued by pyruvate in AMPK-competent or acetoacetate in AMPK-deficient cells. (b): MDA-MB231 proliferation was similarly affected by metformin and rescued by pyruvate or acetoacetate in a manner dependent on AMPK. (c): Colony formation using MCF7 cells. Metformin reduced the ability of MCF7 to form colonies under anchorage independent conditions. Pyruvate rescued the clonogenicity of AMPK-competent cells only, while acetoacetate rescued this ability in both cell lines. All experiments are representative of 3 independent biological replicates. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Statistical analysis was performed using One-way ANOVA. ^ns not significant; * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; **** p < 0.0001.