Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Publication Date
12-1-2023
Journal
Nature Metabolism
Abstract
Glutamine is a critical metabolite for rapidly proliferating cells as it is used for the synthesis of key metabolites necessary for cell growth and proliferation. Glutamine metabolism has been proposed as a therapeutic target in cancer and several chemical inhibitors are in development or in clinical trials. How cells subsist when glutamine is limiting is poorly understood. Here, using an unbiased screen, we identify ALDH18A1, which encodes P5CS, the rate-limiting enzyme in the proline biosynthetic pathway, as a gene that cells can downregulate in response to glutamine starvation. Notably, P5CS downregulation promotes de novo glutamine synthesis, highlighting a previously unrecognized metabolic plasticity of cancer cells. The glutamate conserved from reducing proline synthesis allows cells to produce the key metabolites necessary for cell survival and proliferation under glutamine-restricted conditions. Our findings reveal an adaptive pathway that cancer cells acquire under nutrient stress, identifying proline biosynthesis as a previously unrecognized major consumer of glutamate, a pathway that could be exploited for developing effective metabolism-driven anticancer therapies.
Keywords
Humans, Glutamine, Neoplasms, Cell Proliferation, Proline, Glutamates
DOI
10.1038/s42255-023-00919-3
PMID
37957387
PMCID
PMC11639397
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
12-13-2024
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Author MSS
Published Open-Access
yes
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Bioinformatics Commons, Biomedical Informatics Commons, Genetic Phenomena Commons, Medical Genetics Commons, Oncology Commons