In the absence of apoptosis, myeloid cells arrest when deprived of growth factor, but remain viable by consuming extracellular glucose

Abstract

Withdrawal of the growth factor interleukin-3 (IL-3) from IL-3-dependent myeloid cells causes them to undergo Bax/Bak1-dependent apoptosis, whereas factor-deprived Bax−/−Bak1−/− cells remain viable, but arrest and shrink. It was reported that withdrawal of IL-3 from Bax−/−Bak1−/− cells caused decreased expression of the glucose transporter Glut1, leading to reduced glucose uptake, so that arrested cells required Atg5-dependent autophagy for long-term survival. In other cell types, a decrease in Glut1 is mediated by the thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip), which is induced in IL-3-dependent myeloid cells when growth factor is removed. We mutated Atg5 and Txnip by CRISPR/Cas9 and found tha..