PFKFB3 inhibits fructose metabolism in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells

We hypothesized that PFKFB3 inhibits fructose metabolism in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) and found that PFKFB3 knockout cells survive better than wild type cells in fructose-rich media, more so under hypoxia. Our findings indicate that PFKFB3 is a molecular switch that controls glucose versus fructose utilization in glycolysis and help to better understand lung endothelial cell metabolism during respiratory failure. We performed RNA-seq on wild-type and PFKFB3 knockout cells after 24 hours of incubation in glucose or fructose media, in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions.