Targeted Suppression and Knockout of ASCT2 or LAT1 in Epithelial and Mesenchymal Human Liver Cancer Cells Fail to Inhibit Growth

Amino acid transporters alanine-serine-cysteine transporter 2 (ASCT2) and L-Type Amino Acid Transporter 1 (LAT1) are coordinately enhanced in human cancers where among other roles, they are thought to drive mechanistic target-of-rapamycin (mTOR) growth signaling. To assess ASCT2 and LAT1 as therapeutic targets, nine unique short hairpin RNA (shRNA) vectors were used to stably suppress transporter expression in human epithelial (Hep3B) and mesenchymal (SK-Hep1) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. In addition, six unique CRISPR-Cas9 vectors were used to edit the ASCT2 (SLC1A5) and LAT1 (SLC7A5) genes in epithelial (HUH7) and mesenchymal (SK-Hep1) HCC cells. Both approaches successfully diminished glutamine (ASCT2) and leucine (LAT1) initial-rate transport proportional to transporter protein suppression. In spite of profoundly reduced glutamine or leucine transport (up to 90%), transporter suppression or knockout failed to substantially affect cellular proliferation or basal and amino acid-stimulated mTORC1 growth signaling in either HCC cell type. Only LAT1 knockout in HUH7 slightly reduced growth rate. However, intracellular accumulation of radiolabeled glutamine and leucine over longer time periods largely recovered to control levels in ASCT2 and LAT1 knockout cells, respectively, which partially explains the lack of an impaired growth phenotype. These data collectively establish that in an in vitro context, human epithelial and mesenchymal HCC cell lines adapt to ASCT2 or LAT1 knockout. These results comport with an emerging model of amino acid exchangers like ASCT2 and LAT1 as “harmonizers”, not drivers, of amino acid accumulation and signaling, despite their long-established dominant role in initial-rate amino acid transport.