Abstract
Although genetic alterations are ultimately believed to cause cancer, they can also lead to dysregulation of genes encoding metabolic enzymes that enables cancer cells to proliferate and metastasize. Even though the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is considered an oxidation pathway for glucose metabolism, Le et al. have demonstrated otherwise. Using stable isotope-resolved metabolomics to resolve 13C and 15N from labeled glucose or glutamine, they found that B-cell cancers maintain their TCA cycle solely relying on glutamine when glucose is withdrawn. This glucose-independent TCA cycle allows cancer cells to maintain its bioenergetics, catabolic, and anabolic needs under glucose limited conditions. The effect is so profound that certain cancer cells become addicted and cannot proliferate without glutamine, even in the presence of glucose. Due to glutamine’s emerging role in cancer, targeting the glutaminolysis pathway is a promising new approach to cancer therapy. Moreover, the results of their research demonstrated that inhibition of glutaminase, an enzyme that converts glutamine to glutamate, slows B-cell cancer growth. The ability of B-cell cancer cells to reprogram their metabolism by using glutamine instead of glucose to adapt to the nutrient availability in the tumor microenvironment confers a selective advantage for cancer cell survival and proliferation. This knowledge gives researchers a critical means by which to exploit the metabolic adaptations of these cancer cells and develop new cancer therapies.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Glutamine in Clinical Nutrition |
| Publisher | Springer New York |
| Pages | 77-85 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781493919321, 9781493919314 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2015 |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- Glucose-deficient microenvironment
- Glucose-independent glutamine-driven TCA cycle
- Glutaminolysis
- Targeting glutamine metabolism
- TCA cycle
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Engineering(all)
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
Cite this
Glucose-independent glutamine-driven TCA cycle in cancer cells. / Poore, Brad; Siegel, Nicholas; Park, Joshua K.; Hwang, Benjamin Jung; Afif, Iman; Le Thi, Quy Hoa.
Glutamine in Clinical Nutrition. Springer New York, 2015. p. 77-85.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
}
TY - CHAP
T1 - Glucose-independent glutamine-driven TCA cycle in cancer cells
AU - Poore, Brad
AU - Siegel, Nicholas
AU - Park, Joshua K.
AU - Hwang, Benjamin Jung
AU - Afif, Iman
AU - Le Thi, Quy Hoa
PY - 2015/1/1
Y1 - 2015/1/1
N2 - Although genetic alterations are ultimately believed to cause cancer, they can also lead to dysregulation of genes encoding metabolic enzymes that enables cancer cells to proliferate and metastasize. Even though the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is considered an oxidation pathway for glucose metabolism, Le et al. have demonstrated otherwise. Using stable isotope-resolved metabolomics to resolve 13C and 15N from labeled glucose or glutamine, they found that B-cell cancers maintain their TCA cycle solely relying on glutamine when glucose is withdrawn. This glucose-independent TCA cycle allows cancer cells to maintain its bioenergetics, catabolic, and anabolic needs under glucose limited conditions. The effect is so profound that certain cancer cells become addicted and cannot proliferate without glutamine, even in the presence of glucose. Due to glutamine’s emerging role in cancer, targeting the glutaminolysis pathway is a promising new approach to cancer therapy. Moreover, the results of their research demonstrated that inhibition of glutaminase, an enzyme that converts glutamine to glutamate, slows B-cell cancer growth. The ability of B-cell cancer cells to reprogram their metabolism by using glutamine instead of glucose to adapt to the nutrient availability in the tumor microenvironment confers a selective advantage for cancer cell survival and proliferation. This knowledge gives researchers a critical means by which to exploit the metabolic adaptations of these cancer cells and develop new cancer therapies.
AB - Although genetic alterations are ultimately believed to cause cancer, they can also lead to dysregulation of genes encoding metabolic enzymes that enables cancer cells to proliferate and metastasize. Even though the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is considered an oxidation pathway for glucose metabolism, Le et al. have demonstrated otherwise. Using stable isotope-resolved metabolomics to resolve 13C and 15N from labeled glucose or glutamine, they found that B-cell cancers maintain their TCA cycle solely relying on glutamine when glucose is withdrawn. This glucose-independent TCA cycle allows cancer cells to maintain its bioenergetics, catabolic, and anabolic needs under glucose limited conditions. The effect is so profound that certain cancer cells become addicted and cannot proliferate without glutamine, even in the presence of glucose. Due to glutamine’s emerging role in cancer, targeting the glutaminolysis pathway is a promising new approach to cancer therapy. Moreover, the results of their research demonstrated that inhibition of glutaminase, an enzyme that converts glutamine to glutamate, slows B-cell cancer growth. The ability of B-cell cancer cells to reprogram their metabolism by using glutamine instead of glucose to adapt to the nutrient availability in the tumor microenvironment confers a selective advantage for cancer cell survival and proliferation. This knowledge gives researchers a critical means by which to exploit the metabolic adaptations of these cancer cells and develop new cancer therapies.
KW - Glucose-deficient microenvironment
KW - Glucose-independent glutamine-driven TCA cycle
KW - Glutaminolysis
KW - Targeting glutamine metabolism
KW - TCA cycle
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84944571853&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84944571853&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-1-4939-1932-1_6
DO - 10.1007/978-1-4939-1932-1_6
M3 - Chapter
AN - SCOPUS:84944571853
SN - 9781493919321
SN - 9781493919314
SP - 77
EP - 85
BT - Glutamine in Clinical Nutrition
PB - Springer New York
ER -