Dual Roles of Lactate in EGFR-TKI-Resistant Lung Cancer by Targeting GPR81 and MCT1

Figure 5

The diagrammatic mechanism of lactate assisting TKI resistance through GPR81 and MCT1. In brief, lactate could adopt dual strategies to promote TKI resistance in NSCLC: on one hand, the combination of lactate and its receptor GPR81 activates the downstream AKT signaling that reduces the apoptosis rate; on the other hand, imported lactate through MCT1 acts as a high-energy substrate for the metabolic biomass. How clever lactate is!