Reprogramming of proline and glutamine metabolism contributes to the proliferative and metabolic responses regulated by oncogenic transcription factor c-MYC

W Liu, A Le, C Hancock, AN Lane… - Proceedings of the …, 2012 - National Acad Sciences
W Liu, A Le, C Hancock, AN Lane, CV Dang, TWM Fan, JM Phang
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012National Acad Sciences
In addition to glycolysis, the oncogenic transcription factor c-MYC (MYC) stimulates
glutamine catabolism to fuel growth and proliferation of cancer cells through up-regulating
glutaminase (GLS). Glutamine is converted to glutamate by GLS, entering the tricarboxylic
acid cycle as an important energy source. Less well-recognized, glutamate can also be
converted to proline through Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) and vice versa. This study
suggests that some MYC-induced cellular effects are due to MYC regulation of proline …
In addition to glycolysis, the oncogenic transcription factor c-MYC (MYC) stimulates glutamine catabolism to fuel growth and proliferation of cancer cells through up-regulating glutaminase (GLS). Glutamine is converted to glutamate by GLS, entering the tricarboxylic acid cycle as an important energy source. Less well-recognized, glutamate can also be converted to proline through Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) and vice versa. This study suggests that some MYC-induced cellular effects are due to MYC regulation of proline metabolism. Proline oxidase, also known as proline dehydrogenase (POX/PRODH), the first enzyme in proline catabolism, is a mitochondrial tumor suppressor that inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis. MiR-23b* mediates POX/PRODH down-regulation in human kidney tumors. MiR-23b* is processed from the same transcript as miR-23b; the latter inhibits the translation of GLS. Using MYC-inducible human Burkitt lymphoma model P493 and PC3 human prostate cancer cells, we showed that MYC suppressed POX/PRODH expression primarily through up-regulating miR-23b*. The growth inhibition in the absence of MYC was partially reversed by POX/PRODH knockdown, indicating the importance of suppression of POX/PRODH in MYC-mediated cellular effects. Interestingly, MYC not only inhibited POX/PRODH, but also markedly increased the enzymes of proline biosynthesis from glutamine, including P5C synthase and P5C reductase 1. MYC-induced proline biosynthesis from glutamine was directly confirmed using 13C,15N-glutamine as a tracer. The metabolic link between glutamine and proline afforded by MYC emphasizes the complexity of tumor metabolism. Further studies of the relationship between glutamine and proline metabolism should provide a deeper understanding of tumor metabolism while enabling the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
National Acad Sciences