Collagen I promotes cancer cell survival via amino acid import and mTORC1/S6 activation

Nazemi M, Yanes B, Vancauwenberghe E, Oyelade I, Walker H, Rainero E · 2026 · PLoS Biology · Atlas ID NAZ2026

What this study shows

Collagen I drives alpha2beta1 integrin-dependent mTORC1/S6 activation and membrane localization of the LAT1-4F2hc amino acid transporter, sustaining essential amino acid supply and cancer cell survival in nutrient-poor, collagen-rich tumor stroma; LAT1-4F2hc is upregulated in basal-like breast/pancreatic tumors and correlates with poor prognosis.

Abstract

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Invasive breast and pancreatic cancer cells thrive within a collagen I-rich, poorly perfused extracellular matrix (ECM) network, necessitating robust metabolic adaptation to endure nutrient deficiency, such as glucose starvation. Here we demonstrate that collagen I is critical for the survival and growth of breast and pancreatic cancer cells. Mechanistically, collagen I promotes alpha2 beta1 integrin-dependent S6 phosphorylation by the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and drives the membrane localisation of the (LAT1)-4F2hc amino acid transporter.

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At a glance

Evidence type	M Molecular — cells, biochemistry, structure Marked M because it is molecular or in-vitro work (model: Human breast and pancreatic cancer cell lines (2D/3D culture)) rather than a whole-organism health-outcome study. That is often exactly where causal biology gets established -- the code says which system the finding was shown in, and nothing about how good the work is.
Study type	5 - Mechanistic / In Vitro
Model system	Human breast and pancreatic cancer cell lines (2D/3D culture)
Journal	PLoS Biology
Year	2026
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-09-23
Source	DOI 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003555 · PMID 42758789

Cite this paper

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Nazemi, M., Yanes, B., Vancauwenberghe, E., Oyelade, I., Walker, H., & Rainero, E. (2026). Collagen I promotes cancer cell survival via amino acid import and mTORC1/S6 activation. PLoS Biology. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003555

@article{NAZ2026,
  author       = {Nazemi, M. and Yanes, B. and Vancauwenberghe, E. and Oyelade, I. and Walker, H. and Rainero, E.},
  title        = {{Collagen I promotes cancer cell survival via amino acid import and mTORC1/S6 activation}},
  journal      = {PLoS Biology},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {10.1371/journal.pbio.3003555},
  note         = {PMID: 42758789},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper.

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record NAZ2026) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/NAZ2026/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_NAZ2026,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record NAZ2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/NAZ2026/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}