Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

CANCER

The KRAS-BCAA-BCAT2 axis in PDAC development

Understanding the metabolic rewiring of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is an emerging strategy for identifying cancer-associated liabilities and improving treatment. A new study now elucidates the function of the transaminase BCAT2 in the early stages of tumor development, providing insights that could stimulate novel therapeutic strategies.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: KRAS mutation boosts BCAA metabolism, which promotes PanIN development.

References

  1. Vander Heiden, M. G. & DeBerardinis, R. J. Cell 168, 657–669 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Maddocks, O. D. K. et al. Nature 544, 372–376 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Mayers, J. R. et al. Science 353, 1161–1165 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Li, J.T. et al. Nat. Cell Biol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-019-0455-6 (2020).

  5. Raffel, S. et al. Nature 551, 384–388 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Tönjes, M. et al. Nat. Med. 19, 901–908 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Dey, P. et al. Nature 542, 119–123 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Siegel, R. L., Miller, K. D. & Jemal, A. CA Cancer J. Clin. 67, 7–30 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Ananieva, E. A. & Wilkinson, A. C. Curr. Opin. Clin. Nutr. Metab. Care 21, 64–70 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Carrer, A. et al. Cancer Discov. 9, 416–435 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Goncalves, M. D., Hopkins, B. D. & Cantley, L. C. N. Engl. J. Med. 379, 2052–2062 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Oliver D. K. Maddocks.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

O.D.K.M. contributed to the CRUK Cancer Research Technology’s filing of UK Patent Application no. 1609441.9, and is a founder and shareholder of Faeth Therapeutics.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Falcone, M., Maddocks, O.D.K. The KRAS-BCAA-BCAT2 axis in PDAC development. Nat Cell Biol 22, 139–140 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-020-0467-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-020-0467-2

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Cancer

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Cancer newsletter — what matters in cancer research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get what matters in cancer research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Cancer