ArticleNature medicine2019
Methionine is a metabolic dependency of tumor-initiating cells.
Article in Nature medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 245 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
245 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 386 citations in OpenAlex.
- Metabolic modulation of glioblastoma by dietary intervention: a systematic review.Journal of neuro-oncology · 2026Pooled it
- The mechanism of breast cancer stem cells and tumor microenvironment promoting radioresistance in breast cancer and its intervention strategies.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Pooled it
- Lung cancer metabolism: a dynamic and adaptive network.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2026Review
- Live-cell DNMT3A "catalysome" mapping using engineered methyl-transfer pathways.Nucleic acids research · 2026Article
- Integrating proteomics and metabolomics to reveal MAT2A for metabolic reprogramming in non-small cell lung cancer cells.iScience · 2026Article
- Review
- Regional HNSCC metabolomics reveals widespread changes to one-carbon metabolism and S-adenosylmethionine metabolism across tumour core, tumour edge and adjacent non-tumour tissues.British journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Role of methionine metabolism in cancer: recent advances in molecular mechanisms and therapeutic implications.Experimental hematology & oncology · 2026Review
- Choline-dependent methionine metabolism supports leukemia progression.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Asarinin attenuates ferroptosis resistance by inhibiting the activity of S-adenosyl homocysteine hydrolase in lung cancer.Journal of natural medicines · 2026Article
- Amino Acids as Targets for Immunotherapy against Solid Tumors.Cell biochemistry and biophysics · 2026Review
- [Construction of a methionine metabolism-related prognostic signature and the effect of targeting methionine metabolism on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma].Zhonghua xue ye xue za zhi = Zhonghua xueyexue zazhi · 2026Article
- Targeting methionine-induced pyroptosis enhances anti-tumor immunity.Science China. Life sciences · 2026Article
- The advent of precision nutrigeroscience in cancer: from clinic towards molecular biology.Journal of advanced research · 2026Review
- Review
- Cholesterol Metabolism-related Characteristics Predict Therapeutic Response and Survival in Esophageal Cancer.Journal of advanced research · 2026Article
- Multi-Modal Metabolomics Deciphers Pan-Cancer Metabolic Landscapes and Spatial-Niche-Specific Alternations.Metabolites · 2026Article
- Association between Vitamin B12 Levels and Colon Cancer Survival: A Global Network Study.Cancer research communications · 2026Article
- Methionine metabolism and the NOP2 methyltransferase are essential for MYC-Driven liver tumorigenesis.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Astragalus Mongholicus for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Treatment: From Molecules to Systems.Current molecular medicine · 2026Review
185 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
24 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Understanding cellular metabolism holds immense potential for developing new classes of therapeutics that target metabolic pathways in cancer. Metabolic pathways are altered in bulk neoplastic cells in comparison to normal tissues. However, carcinoma cells within tumors are heterogeneous, and tumor-initiating cells (TICs) are important therapeutic targets that have remained metabolically uncharacterized. To understand their metabolic alterations, we performed metabolomics and metabolite tracing analyses, which revealed that TICs have highly elevated methionine cycle activity and transmethylation rates that are driven by MAT2A. High methionine cycle activity causes methionine consumption to far outstrip its regeneration, leading to addiction to exogenous methionine. Pharmacological inhibition of the methionine cycle, even transiently, is sufficient to cripple the tumor-initiating capability of these cells. Methionine cycle flux specifically influences the epigenetic state of cancer cells and drives tumor initiation. Methionine cycle enzymes are also enriched in other tumor types, and MAT2A expression impinges upon the sensitivity of certain cancer cells to therapeutic inhibition.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.