Pan Tiejun, Gao Lei, Wu Guojun, Shen Guoqiu, Xie Sen, Wen Handong, Yang Jiarong, Zhou Yu, Tu Zhong, Qian Weihong
Department of Urology, Wuhan General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Region, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Department of Urology, Wuhan General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Region, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2015 Jan 2;456(1):452-8. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2014.11.105. Epub 2014 Dec 4.
Cancer cells reprogram their metabolism towards aerobic glycolysis and elevated glutaminolysis, which contributes to the aggressive phenotype. Understanding how these metabolic pathways are regulated may provide critical targets for therapeutic intervention. Glutaminase (GLS1) is a key enzyme that converts glutamine to glutamate. In this study, we show the loss of GLS1 function by RNA interference or inhibitor diminished the rates of glucose utilization, growth and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells. We propose that GLS1 positively regulates glucose uptake in addition to glutaminolysis. Further, GLS1 involves the transcriptional repression of thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP), which is a potent negative regulator of glucose uptake and aerobic glycolysis. Most importantly, we provided direct evidence that elevated GLS1 expression was highly correlated with the tumor stage and progression in prostate cancer patients. Together, we defined a key role for GLS1 in coupling glutaminolysis of the TCA cycle with elevated glucose uptake and consequently the growth of prostate cancer cells. These data extends the role of GLS1 in regulating cell metabolism and the clinical utility of GLS1 inhibitors in the restriction of essential nutrients.
癌细胞将其代谢重编程为有氧糖酵解和增强的谷氨酰胺分解代谢,这有助于形成侵袭性表型。了解这些代谢途径如何被调控可能为治疗干预提供关键靶点。谷氨酰胺酶(GLS1)是一种将谷氨酰胺转化为谷氨酸的关键酶。在本研究中,我们表明通过RNA干扰或抑制剂使GLS1功能丧失会降低前列腺癌细胞的葡萄糖利用率、生长速率和侵袭能力。我们提出,GLS1除了对谷氨酰胺分解代谢有正向调节作用外,还对葡萄糖摄取有正向调节作用。此外,GLS1参与硫氧还蛋白相互作用蛋白(TXNIP)的转录抑制,TXNIP是葡萄糖摄取和有氧糖酵解的有效负调节因子。最重要的是,我们提供了直接证据表明GLS1表达升高与前列腺癌患者的肿瘤分期和进展高度相关。总之,我们确定了GLS1在将三羧酸循环的谷氨酰胺分解代谢与增强的葡萄糖摄取以及前列腺癌细胞的生长相偶联方面的关键作用。这些数据扩展了GLS1在调节细胞代谢中的作用以及GLS1抑制剂在限制必需营养素方面的临床应用。