Potential target for lung cancer therapy
A protein that transports the amino acid glutamine is a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for non-small cell lung cancer, researchers report.
Pierre Massion , M.D., and colleagues previously demonstrated that the protein SLC1A5 is the primary transporter of glutamine – a modulator of cell growth and oxidative stress – in non-small cell lung cancer.
In the current study, they examined the effects of targeting SLC1A5 in a panel of lung cancer and human bronchial cell lines. They demonstrated that inactivating SLC1A5 genetically or pharmacologically decreased glutamine consumption, inhibited cell growth and induced cell death in cell lines that overexpressed the transporter.
Targeting SLC1A5 function also decreased lung cancer tumor growth in an animal model. The investigators found that in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, SLC1A5 expression was associated with poor overall survival.
The findings suggest that SLC1A5 may be a useful diagnostic biomarker and potential target for certain subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer.
Original publication
Hassanein, Mohamed and Qian, Jun and Hoeksema, Megan D. and Wang, Jing and Jacobovitz, Marie and Ji, Xiangming and Harris, Fredrick T. and Harris, Bradford K. and Boyd, Kelli L. and Chen, Heidi and Eisenberg, Rosana and Massion, Pierre P.; "Targeting SLC1a5-mediated glutamine dependence in non-small cell lung cancer"; Int. J. of Cancer; 2015
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