Methionine and H2S alter cancer

Cancer metabolism

Nature Metabolism (2023)Cite this article

74 Accesses

8 Altmetric

Metrics details

Methionine restriction modulates tumour growth and ageing processes through its influence on diverse metabolic processes. Ji et al. demonstrate that methionine restriction compromises production of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which impairs H2S-mediated immune signalling and results in increased cancer progression in immunocompetent mice.

Amino acids are critical nutrients that fuel diverse biochemical processes within tissues and the microbiome, which supports the synthesis of proteins, lipids, nucleotides, cofactors and post-translational modifications such as histone methylation. As such, researchers have attempted to modulate amino acid availability to control disease states and age-related pathologies1,2,3,4. In the context of cancer, the restriction of amino acids such as methionine, serine, glycine and asparagine has shown promising results in limiting the proliferation of cancer cells5 and improving survival in preclinical models6. However, as we increasingly appreciate the ability of immune cells to hold cancer cells at bay, the effect of such amino acid interventions on the immune system must be better understood.

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

Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals

Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription

$29.99 / 30 days

cancel any time

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles

$99.00 per year

only $8.25 per issue

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

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

Wang, T. J. et al. Nat. Med. 17, 448–453 (2011).

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Handzlik, M. K. et al. Nature 614, 118–124 (2023).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Ren, B. et al. Redox Biol. 41, 101940 (2021).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Bárcena, C. et al. Cell Rep. 24, 2392–2403 (2018).

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

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

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Krall, A. S., Xu, S., Graeber, T. G., Braas, D. & Christofk, H. R. Nat. Commun. 7, 11457 (2016).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Ji, M. et al. Nat. Metab. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00854-3 (2023).

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Gao, X. et al. Nature 572, 397–401 (2019).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Miller, T. W. et al. J. Biol. Chem. 287, 4211–4221 (2012).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Papapetropoulos, A. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 21972–21977 (2009).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Sen, N. et al. Mol. Cell 45, 13–24 (2012).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Ma, E. H. et al. Cell Metab. 25, 345–357 (2017).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Roy, D. G. et al. Cell Metab. 31, 250–266.e9 (2020).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Gensollen, T., Iyer, S. S., Kasper, D. L. & Blumberg, R. S. Science 352, 539–544 (2016).

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Li, T. et al. Gut 72, 501–511 (2023).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Download references

Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA

Emeline Joulia & Christian M. Metallo

Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

Christian M. Metallo

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Correspondence to Christian M. Metallo.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Reprints and Permissions

Joulia, E., Metallo, C.M. Methionine and H2S alter cancer–immune dialogue. Nat Metab (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00862-3

Download citation

Published: 03 August 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00862-3

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative