Branched-chain amino acid transaminase 1 (BCAT1), an enzyme that triggers the catabolism of branched-chain amino acids, is overexpressed in glioblastomas with wild-type isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and IDH2. The activity of BCAT1 in human astrocytes is inhibited in the presence of mutant IDH1, and suppression of BCAT1 activity in IDH-wild-type glioma cell lines inhibited the excretion of glutamate, leading to reduced proliferation and invasiveness in vitro and reduced growth of glioblastoma xenografts in vivo.
References
Tönjes, M. et al. BCAT1 promotes cell proliferation through amino acid catabolism in gliomas carrying wild-type IDH1. Nature Med. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nm.3217 (2013)
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McCarthy, N. Branching out. Nat Rev Cancer 13, 520 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3578
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3578
