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The non-essential amino acids serine and glycine are used in multiple anabolic processes that support cancer cell growth and proliferation (reviewed in ref. 1). While some cancer cells upregulate de novo serine synthesis, many others rely on exogenous serine for optimal growth. Restriction of dietary serine and glycine can reduce tumour growth in xenograft and allograft models. Here we show that this observation translates into more clinically relevant autochthonous tumours in genetically engineered mouse models of intestinal cancer (driven by Apc inactivation) or lymphoma (driven by Myc activation). The increased survival following dietary restriction of serine and glycine in these models was further improved by antagonizing the anti-oxidant response. Disruption of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (using biguanides) led to a complex response that could improve or impede the anti-tumour effect of serine and glycine starvation. Notably, Kras-driven mouse models of pancreatic and intestinal cancers were less responsive to depletion of serine and glycine, reflecting an ability of activated Kras to increase the expression of enzymes that are part of the serine synthesis pathway and thus promote de novo serine synthesis.

Nature 544, 372–376 (2017); doi:10.1038/nature22056 In this Letter, the ‘Diet 1’ formulation was incorrectly referenced as our previously published diet (ref. 7 of the Letter). The correct amino acid composition of the diets was stated in the Methods, but we omitted to describe further minor adjustments that were made to improve the cohesion of food pellets made from this powder-based diet.

The APC gene encodes the adenomatous polyposis coli tumour suppressor protein, germline mutation of which characterizes familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), an autosomal intestinal cancer syndrome. Inactivation of APC is also recognized as the key early event in the development of sporadic colorectal cancers and its loss results in constitutive activity of the b-catenin–Tcf4 transcription complex. The proto-oncogene c-MYC has been identified as a target of the Wnt pathway in colorectal cancer cells in vitro, in normal crypts in vivo and in intestinal epithelial cells acutely transformed on in vivo deletion of the APC gene; however, the significance of this is unclear. Therefore, to elucidate the role Myc has in the intestine after Apc loss, we have simultaneously deleted both Apc and Myc in the adult murine small intestine. Here we show that loss of Myc rescued the phenotypes of perturbed differentiation, migration, proliferation and apoptosis, which occur on deletion of Apc. Remarkably, this rescue occurred in the presence of high levels of nuclear b-catenin. Array analysis revealed that Myc is required for the majority of Wnt target gene activation following Apc loss. These data establishMycas the criticalmediator of the early stages of neoplasia following Apc loss.