An amino acid transporter named xCT may affect the growth and progression of non-small cell lung cancer, a discovery that may predict the five-year survival rate of patients suffering from this cancer, now at 16 percent, researchers at Georgia State University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have concluded.
The team, led by Xiangming Ji of Georgia State and Pierre Massion of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, published their findings in the current issue of Oncogene.
xCT is an amino acid transporter, which carries the amino acid cystine into the cells and exports glutamate, a chemical that nerve cells use to send signals to other cells. It provides the key building blocks for glutathione (GSH) synthesis, which feeds cancer cell function and growth. The researchers used sulfasalazine, an anti-inflammatory drug often used to treat Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and related diseases, to reduce tumor formation by inhibiting the function of xCT.
Source: Science Daily
