Functional genomics reveal that the serine synthesis pathway is essential in breast cancer

An in vivo RNAi screen of metabolic enzymes and transporters is used to identify, among other genes, phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) as a gene required for breast tumour growth. PHGDH resides in a region of chromosome 1p that is often amplified in breast cancers, leading to PHGDH overexpression. Elevated levels of PHGDH cause increased metabolic flux through the serine synthesis pathway, which in turn contributes significantly to the flux of glutamine to -ketoglutarate through the tricarboxylic acid cycle. These observations suggest that targeting PHGDH or the serine biosynthesis pathway in general might be of therapeutic value in the subset of breast cancers with high PHGDH expression.