Cited by 183Amino Acid Enzymes and MetabolismCancer, Hypoxia, and MetabolismMetabolism, Diabetes, and Cancer

Glutamine Transport and Mitochondrial Metabolism in Cancer Cell Growth

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Scalise, Mariafrancesca, Pochini, Lorena, Galluccio, Michele, Console, Lara, Indiveri, Cesare·2017·Frontiers in Oncology

Abstract

The concept that cancer is a metabolic disease is now well acknowledged: many cancer cell types rely mostly on glucose and some amino acids, especially glutamine for energy supply. These findings were corroborated by over-expression of plasma membrane nutrient transporters, such as the glucose transporters GLUTs and some amino acid transporters such as ASCT2, LAT1 and ATB0,+, which became promising targets for pharmacological intervention. On the basis of their sodium dependent transport modes, ASCT2 and ATB0+ have the capacity to sustain glutamine need of cancer cells; while LAT1, that is sodium independent will have the role of providing cancer cells with some amino acids with plausible signaling roles. According to the metabolic reprogramming of many types of cancer cells, glucose is mainly catabolized by aerobic glycolysis in tumors, while the fate of Glutamine is completed at mitochondrial level where the enzyme Glutaminase converts Glutamine to Glutamate. Glutamine rewiring in cancer cells is heterogeneous. For example, Glutamate is converted to -Ketoglutarate giving rise to a truncated form of Krebs cycle. This reprogrammed pathway leads to the production of ATP mainly at substrate level and regeneration of reducing equivalents needed for cells growth, redox balance and metabolic energy. Few studies on hypothetical mitochondrial transporter for Glutamine are reported and indirect evidences suggested its presence. Pharmacological compounds able to inhibit Glutamine metabolism may represent novel drugs for cancer treatments. Interestingly, well acknowledged targets for drugs are the Glutamine transporters of plasma membrane and the key enzyme Glutaminase.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fonc.2017.00306

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  • Glutamine is transported into cells through plasma membrane glutamine transporters such as SLC1A5, SLC38A1, and SLC38A2.

    “Glutamine is transported into cells through plasma membrane glutamine transporters such as SLC1A5, SLC38A1, and SLC38A217”

    From Glutamine reliance in cell metabolism (2020) · cites this paper as [17]

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Authors
Scalise, M., Pochini, L., Galluccio, M., Console, L., & Indiveri, C.
Affiliations
  • University of Calabria (IT)
  • Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies (IT)
Corresponding author
Indiveri, Cesare
Venue
Frontiers in Oncology
Published
2017-12-11
Volume
7
Pages
306-306
ISSN
2234-943X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2773957517
Cited by
183
References
98
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 13
FWCI
1.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Oncology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archive of Doctoral Theses and Digital Collections (University of Calabria) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (PON_01_00937)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biochemistry › Amino Acid Enzymes and Metabolism
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Cancer, Hypoxia, and Metabolism
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Metabolism, Diabetes, and Cancer
Keywords
glutamine transport, mitochondrial metabolism, cancer cell growth, cancer metabolism, glutamine metabolism, glutaminase, glutamate, alpha-ketoglutarate, TCA cycle, metabolic reprogramming, aerobic glycolysis, amino acid transporters, ASCT2, LAT1, GLUT transporters

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