Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 20, 2025

Evaluation of Amino Acid Consumption in Cultured Bone Cells and Isolated Bone Shafts
Published on: April 13, 2022
MYC Rules: Leading Glutamine Metabolism toward a Distinct Cancer Cell Phenotype
Vincent Tambay1, Valérie-Ann Raymond1, Marc Bilodeau1,2
1Laboratoire d'Hépatologie Cellulaire, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada.
Abstract:
Metabolic reprogramming and deregulated cellular energetics are hallmarks of cancer. The aberrant metabolism of cancer cells is thought to be the product of differential oncogene activation and tumor suppressor gene inactivation. MYC is one of the most important oncogenic drivers, its activation being reported in a variety of cancer types and sub-types, among which are the most prevalent and aggressive of all malignancies. This review aims to offer a comprehensive overview and highlight the importance of the c-Myc transcription factor on the regulation of metabolic pathways, in particular that of glutamine and glutaminolysis. Glutamine can be extensively metabolized into a variety of substrates and be integrated in a complex metabolic network inside the cell, from energy metabolism to nucleotide and non-essential amino acid synthesis. Together, understanding metabolic reprogramming and its underlying genetic makeup, such as MYC activation, allows for a better understanding of the cancer cell phenotype and thus of the potential vulnerabilities of cancers from a metabolic standpoint.
Related Concept Videos
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Somatic...
Abnormal Proliferation
Epigenetic Regulation
X-chromosome...
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

