| 2021 |
Small-molecule NA-11 (and precursor LDC7559) selectively activates PFKL by binding to the AMP/ADP allosteric activation site, stabilizing the R-state tetramer. This increases glycolytic flux, dampens pentose phosphate pathway activity, and suppresses NADPH oxidase NOX2-dependent oxidative burst, NETosis, and tissue damage in neutrophils. A high-resolution crystal structure of PFKL confirmed binding of NA-11 to this allosteric site and explained isoform selectivity over PFKP and PFKM. |
Chemical proteomics (two unbiased strategies), high-resolution crystal structure of PFKL bound to NA-11, neutrophil functional assays (ROS, NETosis), pharmacological activation with analog design |
Cell |
High |
34320407
|
| 2024 |
Under glucose deprivation, PFKL is phosphorylated, reducing its glycolytic activity and promoting its interaction with PLIN2 on lipid droplets. In this context PFKL acts as a protein kinase and phosphorylates PLIN2, which triggers PLIN2 binding to CPT1A, tethering lipid droplets to mitochondria and recruiting adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) to promote fatty acid oxidation. This 'moonlighting' kinase function of PFKL supports tumor cell proliferation under energy stress. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, in vitro kinase assay, phosphorylation-site mutagenesis, lipid droplet-mitochondria co-localization imaging, genetic knockdown/overexpression, xenograft mouse model |
Nature metabolism |
High |
38773347
|
| 2020 |
The E3 ubiquitin ligase A20 directly interacts with PFKL and promotes its ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation, thereby reducing glycolytic flux in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, ubiquitination assay, RNA interference knockdown of A20 and PFKL, glycolysis measurement |
Cell death & disease |
Medium |
32015333
|
| 1981 |
Using somatic cell hybrids and an anti-L-subunit-specific monoclonal antibody, the PFKL gene was mapped to human chromosome 21. The L-subunit randomly tetramerizes with M and P subunits to form multiple PFK isozymes. Trisomy 21 individuals show a gene-dosage-dependent elevation of PFKL-containing isozymes in erythrocytes. |
Somatic cell hybrid panel, enzyme immunoprecipitation with monoclonal antibody, ion exchange chromatography of isozymes, chromosome marker analysis |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
High |
6455664
|
| 2024 |
PFKL is phosphorylated at Ser775 in macrophages following innate immune stimulation (e.g., LPS). This phosphorylation increases PFKL catalytic activity, elevating glycolytic flux, HIF1α, and IL-1β levels. A knock-in mouse model (PfklS775A/S775A) preventing this phosphorylation showed reduced glycolysis, lower HIF1α and IL-1β after LPS treatment, and reduced MCP-1 and IL-1β in an in vivo inflammation model. |
Biochemical phosphorylation assay, glycolysis monitoring in cells expressing phosphorylation-defective PFKL variants, genetic knock-in mouse model, in vivo inflammation model |
Nature communications |
High |
39085210
|
| 2023 |
PTGES3 binds directly to PFKL and generates a local source of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) that allosterically inhibits PFKL enzymatic activity, reducing glycolytic and TCA-cycle flux. Loss of PTGES3 in ovarian cancer disrupts this PTGES3-PGE2-PFKL inhibitory axis, leading to hyperactivation of glucose oxidation and enhanced tumor cell motility/invasiveness. |
Genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screen, co-immunoprecipitation of PTGES3 and PFKL, enzymatic activity assay, metabolic flux measurements, loss-of-function in ovarian cancer cells |
Cell reports |
Medium |
37831605
|
| 2023 |
The transcription factor KLF7 directly targets the PFKL promoter to regulate its expression. Cardiac-specific knockout of KLF7 elevates PFKL-driven glycolysis and causes adult concentric hypertrophy, while cardiac-specific knockdown of PFKL partially rescues this hypertrophy, placing PFKL downstream of KLF7 in a KLF7/PFKL/ACADL metabolic axis. |
ChIP or promoter analysis, cardiac-specific KLF7 knockout and overexpression mice, cardiac-specific PFKL knockdown (AAV), echocardiographic and metabolic flux measurements |
Nature communications |
Medium |
36810848
|
| 1994 |
Transgenic mice overexpressing murine PFKL show tissue-specific elevated PFK activity that mirrors endogenous expression patterns. Embryonic transgenic brains, but not adult brains, exhibit nearly doubled PFK specific activity, demonstrating developmental stage-specific gene-dosage effects of PFKL overexpression. |
Transgenic mouse generation (PFKL 'gene-cDNA' hybrid construct), enzymatic activity assays in multiple tissues at different developmental stages |
The Biochemical journal |
Medium |
8172601
|
| 1998 |
Transgenic-PFKL mice with elevated PFKL show increased cerebral glucose metabolic rate (58% faster initial utilization) measured by in vivo [1-13C]-glucose NMR, despite slower peripheral blood glucose clearance, demonstrating that PFKL overexpression directly alters brain glucose flux. |
In vivo [1-13C]-glucose infusion followed by NMR spectroscopy, blood glucose clearance assay, enzymatic activity measurements in blood and brain |
Brain research |
Medium |
9813288
|
| 2022 |
YTHDF3 promotes PFKL mRNA stability via m6A modification, increasing PFKL protein levels. In turn, PFKL interacts with YTHDF3 through the spliceosome subunit EFTUD2 and inhibits ubiquitination of YTHDF3, stabilizing it. This bidirectional positive feedback loop enhances aerobic glycolysis in hepatocellular carcinoma. |
Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP), co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, ubiquitination assay, gain/loss-of-function in vitro and in vivo |
Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR |
Medium |
36471428
|
| 2024 |
DNAAF5 directly binds PFKL and recruits the deubiquitinase USP39 to form a ternary complex, stabilizing PFKL protein by promoting its deubiquitination and preventing its proteasomal degradation, thereby enhancing glycolysis in HCC cells. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, ubiquitination assay, USP39 knockdown functional rescue, xenograft mouse model |
Frontiers in oncology |
Medium |
36276075
|
| 2024 |
USP14 directly interacts with PFKL and stabilizes it through deubiquitination, preventing its proteasomal degradation and enhancing PFKL-mediated glycolysis in oral squamous cell carcinoma. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, ubiquitination assay, knockdown/overexpression in OSCC cells, glycolysis measurement |
Journal of translational medicine |
Medium |
38388430
|
| 2022 |
PDLIM2, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, promotes ubiquitination and degradation of PFKL. M2 macrophage-derived exosomes deliver miR-222-3p into LSCC cells to suppress PDLIM2, thereby stabilizing PFKL and enhancing glycolysis. |
Ubiquitination assay, luciferase assay (miRNA target validation), extracellular acidification rate (Seahorse), knockdown in FaDu cells, xenograft mouse model |
Neoplasma |
Medium |
35723199
|
| 2023 |
Caveolin-1 (Cav1) in hepatic stellate cells competes with SQSTM1 for binding to the regulatory domain of PFKL, thereby blocking SQSTM1-mediated autophagy-independent lysosomal degradation of PFKL and sustaining elevated PFKL levels and glycolysis during HSC activation. |
HSC-specific Cav1 knockdown in mice, co-immunoprecipitation (Cav1, SQSTM1, PFKL), lysosomal pathway assays, fibrosis phenotyping |
Free radical biology & medicine |
Medium |
37116593
|
| 2025 |
HDAC6 acts as the deacetylase of PFKL, interacting with PFKL and deacetylating it primarily at K563. Deacetylation of PFKL by HDAC6 promotes PFKL tetrameric assembly and increases enzymatic activity, enhancing aerobic glycolysis and VSMC proliferation. The acetylation-mimicking mutant K563Q attenuates, while the deacetylation-mimicking K563R mutant aggravates PDGF-BB-induced VSMC proliferation and neointimal formation. |
Co-immunoprecipitation (HDAC6-PFKL), site-directed mutagenesis (K563R/K563Q), recombinant adenoviral overexpression, HDAC inhibitor (TSA/siHDAC6), glycolysis measurement, native gel for tetramer formation, in vivo ligation-induced neointima model |
The Journal of biological chemistry |
High |
41421488
|
| 2025 |
Lactate produced by cardiomyocytes triggers PRMT9-mediated methylation of PFKL at residue R301 in neutrophils, resulting in PFKL inactivation, reduced glycolysis, and redirection of metabolic flux from glycolysis toward the pentose phosphate pathway, thereby promoting NETosis. |
Mass spectrometry imaging, in vivo/in vitro lactate supplementation and withdrawal, cardiomyocyte-specific PDK4 knockout mouse, PRMT9 methylation assay, NETosis phenotyping |
Pharmacological research |
Medium |
40222696
|
| 2025 |
A covalent electrophile-drug conjugate (EDC) site-specifically modifies K677 in the allosteric effector site of PFKL, stabilizing the R-state tetramer and activating PFKL, which induces metabolic imbalance and delivers a cytotoxic payload to cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. |
Chemical proteomics (proteome-wide selectivity profiling), site-specific covalent modification at K677 confirmed biochemically, PFKL R-state tetramer stabilization assay, in vitro and in vivo tumor growth assays |
bioRxivpreprint |
Medium |
41256653
|
| 2022 |
PFKL preferentially interacts with oxidized methionine-containing actin peptides (Met44/Met47 oxidized) compared with reduced forms, and this differential interaction is also observed with full-length actin protein, suggesting methionine oxidation on actin regulates the actin-PFKL interaction. |
Photo-crosslinking peptide pulldown, mass spectrometry-based proteomics, full-length actin interaction assay |
RSC chemical biology |
Low |
36320891
|
| 2022 |
PFKL interacts with YTHDF3 through EFTUD2 (a core spliceosome subunit), and this interaction inhibits ubiquitination of YTHDF3, stabilizing it post-translationally. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, ubiquitination assay |
Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR |
Low |
36471428
|
| 2024 |
EGR1 transcription factor binds directly to the PFKL promoter and represses PFKL gene expression, thereby inhibiting PFKL-mediated aerobic glycolysis in hepatocellular carcinoma. |
ChIP or promoter-binding assay (reporter/EMSA implied), EGR1 overexpression/knockdown, glycolysis measurement, xenograft and organoid models |
Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR |
Medium |
38287371
|
| 2022 |
SREBF1 (SREBP1) binds to and activates the PFKL promoter, increasing PFKL transcription. ApoM knockout upregulates SREBF1, which in turn elevates PFKL expression and promotes liver cancer cell proliferation and migration. |
Dual-luciferase reporter assay (PFKL promoter with SREBF1 binding sites), ApoM knockout cells, functional proliferation and invasion assays |
Oncology letters |
Medium |
35720503
|
| 2022 |
Tiam1 directly interacts with PFKL and promotes glycolysis in a PFKL-dependent manner in breast cancer cells. |
Co-immunoprecipitation (Tiam1-PFKL), PFKL knockdown functional rescue, glycolysis measurement, in vivo xenograft |
Carcinogenesis |
Low |
35511493
|