title: Glutamine Metabolism in Cancer: Understanding the Heterogeneity.
abstract: Reliance on glutamine has long been considered a hallmark of cancer cell metabolism. However, some recent studies have challenged this notionin vivo, prompting a need for further clarifications on the role of glutamine metabolism in cancer. We find that there is ample evidence of an essential role for glutamine in tumors and that a variety of factors, including tissue type, the underlying cancer genetics, the tumor microenvironment and other variables such as diet and host physiology collectively influence the role of glutamine in cancer. Thus the requirements for glutamine in cancer are overall highly heterogeneous. In this review, we discuss the implications both for basic science and for targeting glutamine metabolism in cancer therapy.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ahmad A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Cluntun
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lukey
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853, USA.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cerione
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke Cancer Institute, Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Jason W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Locasale
mesh_terms: D005972:Glutaminase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D005973:Glutamine; D005972:Glutaminase
keywords: Cancer Metabolism; Glutaminase; Glutamine Metabolism; TCA Cycle Anaplerosis