Figure 1: PIK3CA mutation renders CRC cells more sensitive to glutamine deprivation.
From: Oncogenic PIK3CA mutations reprogram glutamine metabolism in colorectal cancer
(a) PIK3CA parental, WT and mutant allele configurations of CRC lines. (b) PIK3CA mutation makes cells sensitive to glutamine, but not to glucose, deprivation. Numbers of cells of the indicated genotypes were determined in medium with both glucose and glutamine (normal), medium without glutamine (−Gln) and medium without glucose (−Glc) at indicated time points. Parental cells (HCT116 and DLD1) and two independently derived mutant (Mut 1 and Mut 2) or WT (WT 1 and WT 2) clones for each parental line were analysed. (c,d) Glutamine deprivation induces more apoptosis in cells mutant for PIK3CA. HCT116 (c) and DLD1 (d) cells of the indicated genotypes were grown with or without 2 mM glutamine for 72 h. Cell apoptosis was measured as per cent sub-G1 cells and with cleaved PARP protein. (e) Glutamine deprivation induces more apoptosis in PIK3CA mutant CRC cell lines. CRC cell lines WT or mutant for PIK3CA were grown with or without glutamine for 72 h. Cell apoptosis was measured by profiling sub-G1 cells and cleaved PARP. PIK3CA mutant cell lines: RKO and HT29; WT PIK3CA cell lines: LoVo and SW480. Data are presented as mean±s.e.m. of three independent cultures. *P<0.05; **P<0.01; ***P<0.001, t-test.
