Asparagine promotes cancer cell proliferation through use as an amino acid exchange factor

Abigail S. Krall; Shili Xu; Thomas G. Graeber; Daniel Braas; Heather R. Christofk

doi:10.1038/ncomms11457

Nature Communications (Apr 2016)

Asparagine promotes cancer cell proliferation through use as an amino acid exchange factor

Abigail S. Krall,
Shili Xu,
Thomas G. Graeber,
Daniel Braas,
Heather R. Christofk

Affiliations

Abigail S. Krall: Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, 650 Charles East Young Drive South, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
Shili Xu: Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, 650 Charles East Young Drive South, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
Thomas G. Graeber: Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, 650 Charles East Young Drive South, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
Daniel Braas: Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, 650 Charles East Young Drive South, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
Heather R. Christofk: Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, 650 Charles East Young Drive South, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11457
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Cancer cells have been shown to be dependent upon glutamine for growth. Here, the authors show that intracellular asparagine, a glutamine-derived metabolite, is critical to cancer cell growth and can compensate glutamine deficiency by acting as an amino acid exchange factor.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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