Gina DeNicola, Ph.D. – Van Andel Institute Seminar Series

NRF2 and cysteine metabolism in cancer

Speaker Information

Gina DeNicola, Ph.D.
Leader, Metabolism Program
Interim Chair and Associate Member, Department of Metabolism and Physiology
Moffitt Cancer Center

• Abstract: Redox regulators are emerging as critical mediators of lung tumorigenesis. Notably, NRF2 and its negative regulator KEAP1 are commonly mutated in human lung cancers. These mutations lead to NRF2 accumulation and constitutive expression of NRF2 target genes, many of which are at the interface between antioxidant function and anabolic processes that support cellular proliferation. One such metabolic process is the uptake and metabolism of the amino acid cysteine, which is required for maintaining cellular redox homeostasis in both normal and transformed cells. In this talk, the influence of NRF2 on intracellular cysteine levels and usage will be discussed, as well as additional metabolic processes that influence cellular responses to cysteine excess and limitation. Finally, the influence of tissue intrinsic metabolic programs on the source and fate of cysteine will be discussed, and how transformation influences these programs.

• Host: Sara Nowinski, Ph.D.