Nutrient Transporters: Connecting Cancer Metabolism to Therapeutic Opportunities

Overview

Journal Oncogene

Specialties Molecular Biology
Oncology

Date 2023 Feb 4

PMID 36739364

Authors

Zeribe Chike Nwosu

Mun Gu Song

Marina Pasca di Magliano

Costas A Lyssiotis

Sung Eun Kim

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Cancer cells rely on certain extracellular nutrients to sustain their metabolism and growth. Solute carrier (SLC) transporters enable cells to acquire extracellular nutrients or shuttle intracellular nutrients across organelles. However, the function of many SLC transporters in cancer is unknown. Determining the key SLC transporters promoting cancer growth could reveal important therapeutic opportunities. Here we summarize recent findings and knowledge gaps on SLC transporters in cancer. We highlight existing inhibitors for studying these transporters, clinical trials on treating cancer by blocking transporters, and compensatory transporters used by cancer cells to evade treatment. We propose targeting transporters simultaneously or in combination with targeted therapy or immunotherapy as alternative strategies for effective cancer therapy.

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