Abstract

CD90 (THY1) is a cell surface glycoprotein that plays a crucial role in the occurrence and development of various malignant tumors. It affects tumor cell proliferation, metastasis, angiogenesis, stem cell characteristics, and energy metabolism. CD90 is an important biomarker for many malignant tumors and is closely related to tumor prognosis. However, the role and specific mechanisms of CD90 in glutamine metabolism in gastric cancer (GC) cells remain incompletely understood. In this study, we report that CD90 affects glutamine metabolism in GC cells through SLC1A5, ultimately promoting GC progression. Mechanistically, CD90 promotes the binding of YY1 to the SLC1A5 promoter, enhances the transcriptional activity of the SLC1A5 promoter, and increases its transcriptional level. This, in turn, affects SLC1A5-mediated glutamine metabolism and ferroptosis in GC cells, ultimately facilitating GC progression. Our results suggest that CD90 plays an important role in regulating glutamine metabolism in GC cells, providing important experimental evidence for elucidating the pathogenesis of GC.