Cystine-glutamate antiporter xCT as a therapeutic target for cancer.

ABSTRACT

Cystine/glutamic acid reverse transporter (System Xc - ), a member of the amino acid transporter family, consists of two subunits, light chain xCT and heavy chain 4F2hc. xCT is the cystine/glutamate antiporter solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), which promotes cystine uptake and glutathione biosynthetic, thus protecting against oxidative stress and ferroptosis. Studies have confirmed that xCT is highly expressed in a variety of tumour and is associated with tumour proliferation, invasion, metastasis, drug resistance and ferroptosis, and can be used as a potential target for tumour treatment. This review provides insights into the biological effects of xCT and contribute to the development of new xCT-based strategies.