Cited by 449Cancer, Hypoxia, and MetabolismAmino Acid Enzymes and MetabolismMetabolism, Diabetes, and Cancer

A Variant of SLC1A5 Is a Mitochondrial Glutamine Transporter for Metabolic Reprogramming in Cancer Cells

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Yoo, Hee Chan, Park, Seung Joon, Nam, Miso, Kang, Juwon, Kim, Kibum, Yeo, Joo Hye, Kim, Joon-Ki, Heo, Yunkyung +10 more·2020·Cell Metabolism

Abstract

Glutamine is an essential nutrient that regulates energy production, redox homeostasis, and signaling in cancer cells. Despite the importance of glutamine in mitochondrial metabolism, the mitochondrial glutamine transporter has long been unknown. Here, we show that the SLC1A5 variant plays a critical role in cancer metabolic reprogramming by transporting glutamine into mitochondria. The SLC1A5 variant has an N-terminal targeting signal for mitochondrial localization. Hypoxia-induced gene expression of the SLC1A5 variant is mediated by HIF-2α. Overexpression of the SLC1A5 variant mediates glutamine-induced ATP production and glutathione synthesis and confers gemcitabine resistance to pancreatic cancer cells. SLC1A5 variant knockdown and overexpression alter cancer cell and tumor growth, supporting an oncogenic role. This work demonstrates that the SLC1A5 variant is a mitochondrial glutamine transporter for cancer metabolic reprogramming.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cmet.2019.11.020

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  • For mitochondrial glutaminolysis, cytosolic glutamine must be transported through the inner mitochondrial membrane via the SLC1A5 variant.

    “For mitochondrial glutaminolysis, cytosolic glutamine must be transported through the inner mitochondrial membrane via the SLC1A5 variant, a mitochondrial glutamine transporter16.”

    From Glutamine reliance in cell metabolism (2020) · cites this paper as [16]

  • The mitochondrial glutamine transporter is encoded by a transcript variant of the SLC1A5 gene.

    “the mitochondrial glutamine transporter, encoded by a transcript variant of the SLC1A5 gene, which encodes a well-known plasma membrane glutamine transporter, was only recently discovered16.”

    From Glutamine reliance in cell metabolism (2020) · cites this paper as [16]

  • Glutamate supplementation during glutamine deprivation cannot rescue impaired cell growth or mitochondrial respiration, indicating that mitochondrial GLS-catalyzed cleavage of the gamma-nitrogen of glutamine is essential for glutaminolysis.

    “Although glutamate is the major downstream product of glutamine, glutamate supplementation during glutamine deprivation cannot rescue the impaired cell growth or mitochondrial respiration16,43–45, indicating that mitochondrial GLS-catalyzed cleavage of the gamma-nitrogen of glutamine is essential for glutaminolysis.”

    From Glutamine reliance in cell metabolism (2020) · cites this paper as [16]

  • Hypoxic conditions promote uptake of glutamine by increasing levels of glutamine transporters such as SLC1A5, the SLC1A5 variant, and SLC38A2.

    “Hypoxic conditions promote the uptake of glutamine by increasing the levels of glutamine transporters such as SLC1A5, the SLC1A5 variant, and SLC38A216,65”

    From Glutamine reliance in cell metabolism (2020) · cites this paper as [16]

  • The mitochondrial glutamine transporter is strongly associated with glutaminolysis-induced NADPH generation.

    “and the mitochondrial glutamine transporter is strongly associated with glutaminolysis-induced NADPH generation16.”

    From Glutamine reliance in cell metabolism (2020) · cites this paper as [16]

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Authors
Yoo, H. C., Park, S. J., Nam, M., Kang, J., Kim, K., Yeo, J. H., Kim, J.-K., Heo, Y., Lee, H. S., Lee, M. Y., Lee, C. W., Kang, J. S., Kim, Y.-H., Lee, J., Choi, J., Hwang, G.-S., Bang, S., & Han, J. M.
Affiliations
  • Yonsei University (KR)
  • Korea Basic Science Institute (KR)
  • National Cancer Center (KR)
  • Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KR)
Corresponding author
Han, Jung Min
Venue
Cell Metabolism
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-02
Volume
31
Issue
2
Pages
267-283.e12
ISSN
1550-4131 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2995576736
Cited by
449
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 65 · 2025: 78 · 2024: 87 · 2023: 67 · 2022: 67 · 2021: 55 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 1
FWCI
12.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell Metabolism (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • KRIBB Repository (submittedVersion)
  • YUHSpace (Yonsei University Medical Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • National Research Foundation of Korea
  • Korea Basic Science Institute
  • Ministry of Education (2018R1A6A1A03023718)
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 › Molecular Biology › Metabolism, Diabetes, and Cancer
Keywords
glutamine transport, tumor metabolic reprogramming, mitochondrial targeting signal, HIF-2α, hypoxia, glutathione synthesis, ATP production, gemcitabine resistance, pancreatic cancer, tumor growth
MeSH terms
Tumor Hypoxia, Endothelial PAS Domain-Containing Protein 1, Animals, Female, Glutamine, Humans, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Mitochondria, Neoplasms, Minor Histocompatibility Antigens, Amino Acid Transport System ASC, Cell Line, Tumor, Mice, Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors, Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins, Cellular Reprogramming

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