Dual role of N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate metabolism in cancer monitor and therapy

Ryoichi Asaka; Anne Le

doi:10.1080/23723556.2019.1627273

Dual role of N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate metabolism in cancer monitor and therapy

Mol Cell Oncol. 2019 Jun 20;6(5):e1627273. doi: 10.1080/23723556.2019.1627273. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Ryoichi Asaka^{1

2}, Anne Le^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
³ Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.

Abstract

We uncovered the neurotransmitter N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (NAAG) as a reservoir providing glutamate to promote cancer growth, and demonstrated that inhibition of NAAG hydrolysis by targeting glutamate carboxypeptidase II is a viable strategy for cancer therapy. Our study also suggests that NAAG concentration in plasma could be a non-invasive measurement to monitor cancer progression.

Keywords: N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (NAAG); glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII); glutamate reservoir; glutaminase inhibitor; stable isotope-resolved metabolomics (SIRM).

Abstract

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