Glutaminase - A potential target for cancer treatment.

The overexpression of glutaminase is reported to influence cancer growth and metastasis through glutaminolysis. Upregulation of glutamine catabolism is recently recognized as a critical feature of cancer, and cancer cells are observed to reprogram glutamine metabolism to maintain its survival and proliferation. Special focus is given on the glutaminase isoform, GLS1 (kidney type glutaminase), as the other isoform GLS2 (Liver type glutaminase) acts as a tumour suppressor in some conditions. Glutaminolysis linked with autophagy, which is mediated via mTORC1, also serves as a promising target for cancer therapy. Glutamine also plays a vital role in maintaining redox homeostasis. Inhibition of glutaminase aggravates oxidative stress by reducing glutathione level, thus leading to apoptotic-mediated cell death in cancer cells Therefore, inhibiting the glutaminase activity using glutaminase inhibitors such as BPTES, DON, JHU-083, CB-839, compound 968, etc. may answer many intriguing questions behind the uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells and serve as a prophylactic treatment for cancer. Earlier reports neither discuss nor provide perspectives on exact signaling gene or pathway. Hence, the present review highlights the plausible role of glutaminase in cancer and the current therapeutic approaches and clinical trials to target and inhibit glutaminase enzymes for better cancer treatment.

The von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein Is Destabilized by Src: Implications for Tumor Angiogenesis and Progression.

The von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (VHL), when mutated and inactivated, has been associated with renal and CNS cancer development. VHL normally plays an important role in targeting for degradation of the HIF-1α (hypoxia inducible factor-1α) transcription factor, a primary positive regulator of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production. In this report we demonstrate that VHL destabilization can be induced by Src kinase and may be involved in other cancers, including breast cancer. We have found that elevated Src can trigger a drastic reduction in VHL stability even under normoxic conditions, through phosphorylation of VHL tyrosine residue 185, leading to ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation of VHL. The Src-induced degradation of VHL protein leads to increased HIF-1α levels and transcriptional activity and increased VEGF production. In this manner, Src regulation of VHL protein stability may play an important role in promoting VEGF expression, tumor angiogenesis, and cancer progression.