Journal of Clinical Medicine Current Research

Transcriptional Regulation of SLC7A11 /xCT in Ferroptosis: A Brief Commentary

Pengcheng Zhao^1,2, Lei Yu², Xinbo Wang², Ping Wang^2,*

¹School of Life Sciences and Medicine, Shandong University of Technology, No.266 Xincun West Road, Zibo, 255000, Shandong Province, China
²Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University, No.301 Yanchang Middle Road, Shanghai, 200072, China

Abstract

Solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11, also known as xCT), which is the substrate-specific subunit of cystine/glutamate antiporter protects cancer cells from oxidative stress and ferroptosis through upregulating cystine uptake and glutathione biosynthesis. The expression and activity of SLC7A11 is governed by diverse mechanisms, such as transcriptional regulation and posttranslational modification. In this commentary, we mainly summarize transcriptional regulation of SLC7A11 in both cancer cells and cancer stem cells and highlight ferroptosis-dependent functions of SLC7A11 in promoting tumor development.

Keywords:

SOX2; SLC7A11; Transcriptional regulations; Ferroptosis