Arginine Transporters in Human Cancers: Emerging Mechanisms and Clinical Implications

Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid for adults, which serves as a central hub synthesizing various metabolites. Arginine plays a critical role in carcinogensis. As a polar amino acid, the uptake and the transportation of arginine across cell membrane systems rely on transporter proteins. Arginine transporters remain critically important, particularly as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cancer. Based on the subcellular localization, arginine transporters could be divided into two types: cell membrane arginine transporters and intracellular membrane arginine transporters. This review aims to investigate the latest advancements of arginine transporter proteins in cancer, focusing on their cellular localization, structural characteristics, and mechanism, with the goal of promoting the design and development of targeted anticancer therapeutics against these transporters.