The use of the amino acid glutamine as an energy source is facilitated by the multistep catabolism of glutamine called glutaminolysis. This energy pathway is upregulated in cancer, which may represent a therapeutic target as cancer cells are thought to be more dependent on glutamine than healthy cells. This especially holds true for specific tumor types that are metabolically dysregulated, such as malignant brain tumors (i.e. glioblastoma) that carry mutations in the IDH1 gene. These tumors use glutamine or the structurally related amino acid glutamate as an energy source and a chemotactic sensor in the brain, which increases their malignancy and may explain why these tumors grow so invasive.[9][10]