Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Molecular Oncology, BC Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Trends Cell Biol. 2022 Sep;32(9):800-814. doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2022.02.009. Epub 2022 Mar 29.
Cysteine, a thiol-containing amino acid, is crucial for the synthesis of sulfur-containing biomolecules that control multiple essential cellular activities. Altered cysteine metabolism has been linked to numerous driver oncoproteins and tumor suppressors, as well as to malignant traits in cancer. Cysteine can be acquired from extracellular sources or synthesized de novo via the transsulfuration (TSS) pathway. Limited availability of cystine in tumor interstitial fluids raises the possible dependency on de novo cysteine synthesis via TSS. However, the contribution of TSS to cancer metabolism remains highly contentious. Based on recent findings, we provide new perspectives on this crucial but understudied metabolic pathway in cancer.
半胱氨酸是一种含硫氨基酸，对于合成含硫生物分子至关重要，这些生物分子控制着多种重要的细胞活动。改变半胱氨酸代谢与许多驱动癌蛋白和肿瘤抑制因子有关，也与癌症的恶性特征有关。半胱氨酸可以从细胞外来源获得，也可以通过转硫途径从头合成。肿瘤间质液中胱氨酸的有限可用性增加了通过转硫途径从头合成半胱氨酸的可能性。然而，转硫途径对癌症代谢的贡献仍然存在很大争议。基于最近的发现，我们为癌症中这一关键但研究不足的代谢途径提供了新的视角。
