SLC4A11 mediates ammonia import and promotes cancer stemness in hepatocellular carcinoma
End-stage liver disease is marked by portal hypertension, systemic elevations in ammonia, and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While these clinical consequences of cirrhosis are well described, it remains poorly understood whether hepatic insufficiency and the accompanying elevations in ammonia contribute to HCC carcinogenesis. Using preclinical models, we discovered that ammonia entered the cell through the transporter SLC4A11 and served as a nitrogen source for amino acid and nucleotide biosynthesis. Elevated ammonia promoted cancer stem cell properties in vitro and tumor initiation in vivo. Enhancing ammonia clearance reduced HCC stemness and tumor growth. In patients, elevations in serum ammonia were associated with an increased incidence of HCC. Taken together, this study forms the foundation for clinical investigations using ammonia-lowering agents as potential therapies to mitigate HCC incidence and aggressiveness.
Authors
- Viraj R. Sanghvi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6526-7820)
- David A. Elliott (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5548-5572)
- Thomas J. FitzGerald (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6256-0615)
- Michael D. Green (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4951-7118)
- Meredith A. Morgan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7965-6878)
- Grace L. Su (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8701-774X)
- Erin A. Holcomb (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1368-9858)
- Amanda K. Huber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0375-8709)
- Marwa O. El-Derany (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1552-9607)
- Yatrik M. Shah (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2487-4816)
- Elliot B. Tapper (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0839-1515)
- Theodore S. Lawrence (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4186-8821)
- Ameer L. Elaimy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0094-921X)
- Daniel Wahl (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9894-5085)
- Andrew W. Tai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6877-450X)
- Irina Dobrosotskaya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4533-4783)
- Enid Choi
- Max S. Wicha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4180-7727)
- Hannah N. Bell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2609-5557)
- Alex K. Bryant (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0194-8381)
- Joseph R. Evans (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1342-270X)
- Zhuwen Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8757-7392)
- Kyle Clifford Cuneo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8264-6483)
- Ashley N. Pearson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4583-2682)
- Daniel T. Chang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7561-2747)
- Timothy L. Frankel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5987-0404)
- Nithya Ramnath
- Julie Moeller
- Jadyn G. James (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3494-8660)
- Miguel A. Gijón (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2496-3309)
- C Centonze
Institutions
- Ain Shams University (EG)
- University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center (US)
- Cayman Chemical (United States) (US)
- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System (US)
- UMass Memorial Medical Center (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- JCI Insight
- Published
- 2024-10-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.184826
- Citations
- 10
- Primary Topic
- Amino Acid Enzymes and Metabolism
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.95
Funders
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- University of Michigan
- National Institutes of Health
- College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan
- National Cancer Institute