Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35121952›Full record

ArticleNature cancer2020

Targeting purine synthesis in ASS1-expressing tumors enhances the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Rom Keshet, Joo Sang Lee, Lital Adler, Muhammed Iraqi, Yarden Ariav, Lisha Qiu Jin Lim, Shaul Lerner, Shiran Rabinovich, Roni Oren, Rotem Katzir and 20 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature cancer, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 62 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
62citing papers in PubMed
6.7field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

62 citing papers in PubMed, 100 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Science advances · 2026
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  4. GTP biosynthesis is a therapeutic vulnerability in Rac1-mutant melanoma.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
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  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
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  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Beyond the Limit: MYC Mediates Tumor Immune Escape.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Review
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Review

2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

30 authors at 7 institutions in 4 countries.

Rom Keshet *Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Joo Sang Lee *Cancer Data Science Lab, National Cancer Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8564-0848
Lital Adler *Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Muhammed IraqiFaculty of Health Sciences, The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Yarden AriavDepartment of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Lisha Qiu Jin LimDepartment of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Shaul LernerDepartment of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Shiran RabinovichDepartment of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Roni OrenDepartment of Veterinary Resources, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Rotem KatzirCancer Data Science Lab, National Cancer Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Hila Weiss TishlerDepartment of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Noa StettnerDepartment of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Omer GoldmanDepartment of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Hadas LandesmanDepartment of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Sivan GalaiDepartment of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Yael KupermanDepartment of Veterinary Resources, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Yuri KuznetsovDepartment of Veterinary Resources, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Alexander BrandisDepartment of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Tevi MehlmanDepartment of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Sergey MalitskyDepartment of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Maxim ItkinDepartment of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
S Eleonore KoehlerDepartment Anatomy & Embryology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Yongmei ZhaoFrederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA.
Keyur TalsaniaFrederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA.
Tsai-Wei ShenFrederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA.
Nir PeledThe Legacy Heritage Oncology Center and Dr. Larry Norton Institute, Soroka Medical Center and Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Igor UlitskyDepartment of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0555-6561
Angel PorgadorFaculty of Health Sciences, The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Eytan Ruppin *Cancer Data Science Lab, National Cancer Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. eyruppin@gmail.com.
Ayelet Erez *Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. ayelet.erez@weizmann.ac.il.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9696-0393
Weizmann Institute of Science · ILFrederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research · USNational Institutes of Health · USBen-Gurion University of the Negev · ILMaastricht University · NLSheba Medical Center · ILSoroka Medical Center · IL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Argininosuccinate synthase (ASS1) downregulation in different tumors has been shown to support cell proliferation and yet, in several common cancer subsets ASS1 expression associates with poor patient prognosis. Here we demonstrate that ASS1 expression under glucose deprivation is induced by c-MYC, providing survival benefit by increasing nitric oxide synthesis and activating the gluconeogenic enzymes pyruvate carboxylase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase by S-nitrosylation. The resulting increased flux through gluconeogenesis enhances serine, glycine and subsequently purine synthesis. Notably, high ASS1-expressing breast cancer mice do not respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors and patients with breast cancer with high ASS1 have more metastases. We further find that inhibiting purine synthesis increases pyrimidine to purine ratio, elevates expression of the immunoproteasome and significantly enhances the response of autologous primary CD8

Indexed as

Argininosuccinate SynthaseBreast NeoplasmsAnimalsCD8-Positive T-LymphocytesCell Line, TumorFemaleHumansImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsMicePurinesArgininosuccinate SynthaseImmune Checkpoint InhibitorspurinePurines

Identifiers

PMID35121952
OpenAlexW3082983968

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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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.