Glutamine and Asparagine (Glutamine: Gln (Q), Asparagine: Asn (N))

Glutamine (Gln, Q) and Asparagine (Asn, N) are polar, uncharged, non-essential amino acids serving as fundamental building blocks of proteins. Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in circulating blood, acting in nitrogen transport and as an energy/precursor substrate for rapidly dividing cells. Asparagine is important in protein synthesis, particularly N-linked glycosylation, and brain development. Both amino acids are produced endogenously in healthy humans. While not drug targets themselves, the metabolic dependencies on these amino acids are exploited by drugs such as asparaginase in leukemia, which limits the availability of asparagine to cancer cells unable to synthesize it. In summary: "Glutamine and asparagine" is not a canonical molecular target but rather refers to two separate amino acids. While central to biology and metabolism, they are not considered traditional therapeutic targets, though enzymes in their metabolic pathways are pharmacologically targeted.

Other names

Glutamine: 2-Amino-4-carbamoylbutanoic acidGlnQAsparagine: 2-Amino-3-carbamoylpropanoic acidAsnN

Asparaginase (enzyme drug) depletes circulating asparagine to inhibit growth of asparagine-dependent cancer cells (e.g., in acute lymphoblastic leukemia). Some experimental cancer drugs target glutamine metabolism pathways.