Effect of glutamine and alphaketoglutarate in gene expression

Glutamine (gln) is an essential and versatile metabolite that feeds different cellular pathways and generates several derivatives. Alpha-ketoglutarate (aKG) is the gln derivative that feeds the TCA cycle, activates cellular growth, and is related to epigenetic changes. Despite gln importance, the specific role of gln – and not its derivatives – in gene expression is not clear. To address this question, U2OS cells were cultured in the presence of gln or its absence +/- aKG for 8 hours. Gln had an unique effect in the transcriptome of U2OS cells and the addition of aKG was not able to mimic the gln effect. In conclusion, gln affects gene expression independently of its derivative aKG.