Amino acid metabolism as a therapeutic target in cancer: A review

Endicott, Molly; Jones, Michael; Hull, Jonathon

Abstract

Malignant cells often demonstrate a proliferative advantage when compared to non-malignant cells. However, the rapid growth and metabolism required for survival can also highlight vulnerabilities specific to these malignant cells. One such vulnerability exhibited by cancer is an increased demand for amino acids (AAs), which often results in a dependency on exogenous sources of AAs or requires upregulation of de novo synthesis. These metabolic alterations can be exploited by therapy, which aims to improve treatment outcome and decrease relapse and reoccurrence. One clinically utilised strategy targeting AA dependency is the use of asparaginase in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), which results in a depletion of exogenous asparagine and subsequent cancer cell death. Examples of other successful strategies include the exploitation of arginine deiminase and methioninase, nutrient restriction of methionine and the inhibition of glutaminase. In this review, we summarise these treatment strategies into three promising avenues: AA restriction, enzymatic depletion and inhibition of metabolism. This review provides an insight into the complexity of metabolism in cancer, whilst highlighting these three current research avenues that have support in both preclinical and clinical settings.

Citation

Endicott, M., Jones, M., & Hull, J. (2021). Amino acid metabolism as a therapeutic target in cancer: A review. Amino Acids, 53, 1169–1179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-021-03052-1

• Journal Article Type: Review
• Acceptance Date: Jul 20, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jul 22, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-08
• Deposit Date: Jul 29, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 19, 2021
• Journal: Amino Acids
• Print ISSN: 0939-4451
• Electronic ISSN: 1438-2199
• Publisher: Springer (part of Springer Nature)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 53
• Pages: 1169–1179
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-021-03052-1
• Keywords: Amino acids; Cancer; Oncology; Metabolism; Asparaginase
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7556350