Cited by 575Cancer, Hypoxia, and MetabolismAmino Acid Enzymes and MetabolismCancer Research and Treatments

Glutamine Sensitivity Analysis Identifies the xCT Antiporter as a Common Triple-Negative Breast Tumor Therapeutic Target

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Timmerman, Luika A., Holton, Thomas, Yuneva, Mariia, Louie, Raymond J., Padró, Mercè, Daemen, Anneleen, Hu, Min, Chan, Denise A. +5 more·2013·Cancer Cell

Abstract

A handful of tumor-derived cell lines form the mainstay of cancer therapeutic development, yielding drugs with an impact typically measured as months to disease progression. To develop more effective breast cancer therapeutics and more readily understand their clinical impact, we constructed a functional metabolic portrait of 46 independently derived breast cell lines. Our analysis of glutamine uptake and dependence identified a subset of triple-negative samples that are glutamine auxotrophs. Ambient glutamine indirectly supports environmental cystine acquisition via the xCT antiporter, which is expressed on one-third of triple-negative tumors in vivo. xCT inhibition with the clinically approved anti-inflammatory sulfasalazine decreases tumor growth, revealing a therapeutic target in breast tumors of poorest prognosis and a lead compound for rapid, effective drug development.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.ccr.2013.08.020

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  • xc− may constitute a therapeutic target in triple-negative breast carcinoma.

    “implying that xc− may constitute a therapeutic target in this setting [553, 554].”
  • The pronounced addiction of triple-negative breast carcinoma to glutamine relates at least in part to its ability to drive cystine uptake via xc−.

    “the pronounced addiction of triple-negative breast carcinoma to glutamine relates (at least in part) to its ability to drive cystine uptake via xc−, implying that xc− may constitute a therapeutic target in this setting [553, 554].”
  • Glutamine starvation is associated with impaired uptake of cystine through xCT and decreased intracellular glutathione levels.

    “Consistent with this observation, glutamine starvation has been associated with impaired uptake of cystine through xCT and decreased intracellular glutathione levels62.”

    From Glutamine reliance in cell metabolism (2020) · cites this paper as [62]

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Authors
Timmerman, L. A., Holton, T., Yuneva, M., Louie, R. J., Padró, M., Daemen, A., Hu, M., Chan, D. A., Ethier, S. P., van ‘t Veer, L. J., Polyak, K., McCormick, F., & Gray, J. W.
Affiliations
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • San Francisco State University (US)
  • Medical Research Council (GB)
  • Novartis (China) (CN)
  • Medical University of South Carolina (US)
  • Oregon Health & Science University (US)
Corresponding author
Timmerman, Luika A.
Venue
Cancer Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2013-10
Volume
24
Issue
4
Pages
450-465
ISSN
1535-6108 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2034530633
Cited by
573
References
61
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 46 · 2024: 50 · 2023: 51 · 2022: 49 · 2021: 75 · 2020: 56 · 2019: 55 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 39 · 2016: 39 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 21
FWCI
10.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cancer Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • University of California, San Francisco
  • National Cancer Institute (P50CA058207, U54CA112970)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Cancer, Hypoxia, and Metabolism
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biochemistry › Amino Acid Enzymes and Metabolism
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biotechnology › Cancer Research and Treatments
Keywords
triple-negative breast cancer, glutamine addiction, glutamine uptake, sulfasalazine, therapeutic target, breast cancer cell lines, cancer metabolism, drug development
MeSH terms
Animals, Female, Glutamine, Glutathione, Humans, Prognosis, Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic, Reactive Oxygen Species, Disease Progression, Gene Expression Profiling, Amino Acid Transport System y+, RNA, Small Interfering, Cell Line, Tumor, Mice, Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms

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