Visual analysis on the research of monocarboxylate transporters based on CiteSpace

Abstract

Background: Monocarboxylate transports (MCTs), a family of solute carrier protein, play an important role in maintenance of cellular stability in tumor cells by mediating lactate exchange across membranes. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the knowledge structure, development trend, and research hotspot of MCTs research field systematically and comprehensively. Methods: Based on the 1526 publications from 2010 to 2020 retrieved from “Web of Science Core Collection” (WoSCC), we visually analyzed the MCTs research in terms of subject category, scientific collaboration network, keywords, and high-frequency literature using CiteSpace. Results: The number of publications exhibits an upward trend from 2010 to 2020 and the top 5 countries in the MCTs research were the United States, China, Japan, Germany, and England. Visser TJ was the most prolific author, while Halestrap AP was the most influential author with the highest citations. Analysis of the 7 cluster units from the co-cited references and keywords revealed that high expression of MCTs induced by oxidative stress and glycolysis was the pivotal point in the MCTs research field, while regulation of metabolism in tumor microenvironment, prognostic markers of cancer, and targeted inhibitors are the top 3 research frontiers topics. Conclusion: This study will help the new researcher to understand the MCTs related field, master the research frontier, and obtain valuable scientific information, thus providing directions for follow-up research. Abbreviations: CAF = cancer-associated fibroblasts, MCT1 = (aka SLC16A1) Isoform 1 in the MCT superfamily, MCT2 = (aka SLC16A7) Isoform 2 in the MCT superfamily, MCT4 = (aka SLC16A3) Isoform 4 in the MCT superfamily, MCT8 = (aka SLC16A2) Isoform 4 in the MCT superfamily, MCTs = monocarboxylate transports, TME = tumor microenvironment, WoSCC = Web of Science Core Collection.