Knockdown of SLC38A2 in A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells under glucose deprivation reduces glutamine utilization, decreases ATP production, suppresses glycolysis, inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion, and increases apoptosis, demonstrating that SLC38A2 is necessary for metabolic adaptation and survival under nutrient stress.

When sugar is scarce, cancer cells use glutamine as an alternative fuel. A transporter called SLC38A2 pulls glutamine into the cell, where it is broken down to replenish key molecules needed to keep the energy factory running. This allows the cell to keep making ATP and lactate, which fuel growth, movement, and survival. Without this transporter, glutamine cannot enter, energy production collapses, and the cell dies.