The <i>SLC38A5</i>/SNAT5 amino acid transporter: from pathophysiology to pro-cancer roles in the tumor microenvironment
Giuseppe Taurino, Martina Chiu, Massimiliano G. Bianchi, Erika Griffini, Ovidio Bussolati
Abstract
/SNAT5 provides net influx or efflux of glutamine, asparagine, and serine. These amino acids are of particular metabolic relevance in several conditions. Changes in transporter expression or activity have been described in selected types of human cancers, where SNAT5 can mediate amino acid exchanges between tumor and stromal cells, thus providing a potential therapeutic target. This is the first review that recapitulates the characteristics and roles of the transporter in physiology and pathology.
Topics & Concepts
Tumor microenvironmentTransporterPathophysiologyCancerAmino acidCancer researchBiologyChemistryCell biologyTumor cellsBiochemistryEndocrinologyGeneticsGeneAmino Acid Enzymes and MetabolismMetabolism and Genetic DisordersEpigenetics and DNA Methylation