For decades, scientists have wondered how the human body absorbs a rare and important nutrient called queuine. This compound is known to play a vital role in protein production, brain function, and potentially even cancer prevention. In 2025, that mystery was solved.

A team of researchers led by the University of Florida and Trinity College Dublin discovered that a gene called SLC35F2 is responsible for transporting queuine into human cells. Their groundbreaking study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), identified SLC35F2 as the first known queuine transporter in humans (Burtnyak et al.).

This finding not only answers a long-standing scientific question, it also connects your diet, gut microbiome, and cellular health in a powerful way.

What Is Queuine and Why Does It Matter?

Queuine is a micronutrient similar to a vitamin that helps modify molecules called transfer RNAs (tRNAs), which play a crucial role in building proteins. When tRNAs are modified with queuine, the cell becomes better at translating genetic instructions into proteins with precision and speed. This helps reduce stress on cells and may protect against chronic disease.

Research suggests queuine plays a role in the following:

• Supporting neurological development and brain signaling

• Enhancing cellular energy metabolism

• Improving protein production accuracy

• Reducing DNA damage and mutation risk

However, humans cannot make queuine on their own. We depend entirely on our diet and gut bacteria to supply it.

The Role of the SLC35F2 Gene

The gene SLC35F2 was previously known for transporting drugs like YM155 into cancer cells. This recent study reveals its natural biological purpose: importing queuine into cells.

Without a functioning SLC35F2 transporter, even if queuine is available in the digestive tract or bloodstream, it cannot get into the cell where it is needed. This connection highlights how deeply nutrition, microbiome health, and genetic processes are intertwined.

Gut Bacteria: Natural Producers of Queuine

Certain gut bacteria, including species from the Bacteroidetes and Enterobacteriaceae families, can synthesize queuine from compounds in our diet. To do this, these bacteria need a supportive environment, which we create through a diverse, fiber-rich, and minimally processed diet.

A gut with low microbial diversity or one damaged by poor eating habits or antibiotic use will produce less queuine. This leaves your cells at a disadvantage, even if the SLC35F2 transporter is working properly.

How to Support Queuine Production Through Diet

You cannot activate the SLC35F2 gene through food alone, but you can increase the availability of queuine and support cellular health by promoting gut microbiome diversity and eating a diet that supplies the nutrients needed to process and utilize queuine effectively.

1. Increase Fiber Intake

Fiber is essential for feeding beneficial gut bacteria. Both soluble and insoluble fibers support microbial diversity and the activity of queuine-producing strains.

Fiber-rich foods include:

• Oats, quinoa, barley

• Lentils, black beans, chickpeas

• Apples, bananas, berries

• Broccoli, spinach, carrots

Dahl and Mai explain that dietary fiber provides the fuel necessary for beneficial microbes to flourish, which in turn supports the overall balance of gut microbiota (“Understanding Microbiota and Prebiotics”).

2. Include Fermented and Probiotic Foods

Foods that naturally contain probiotics help maintain a balanced gut microbiome. This indirectly supports queuine production by maintaining the ecosystem that supports these bacteria.

Examples include:

• Yogurt with live cultures

• Kefir

• Kimchi and sauerkraut

• Miso and tempeh

As Dahl and Mai describe, probiotics may help prevent gut dysbiosis and enhance the body’s ability to absorb and process nutrients like queuine (“Understanding Probiotics”).

3. Eat More Whole, Plant-Based Foods

Polyphenols and antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables nourish gut bacteria and support immune and metabolic function. These compounds may reduce inflammation and promote a gut environment conducive to queuine production.

4. Avoid Gut Microbiome Disruptors

To preserve your gut bacteria, limit or avoid:

• Ultra-processed foods high in sugar and low in fiber

• Unnecessary use of antibiotics

• Excess alcohol

• Smoking

• Chronic unmanaged stress

These factors can weaken the gut microbiome and impair nutrient synthesis and absorption, including queuine.

Additional Nutrients That Support Cellular Health

To support queuine utilization and tRNA function, be sure your diet includes the following:

Related Gene: SLC35F3 and Thiamine (Vitamin B1)

Another transporter gene in the same family, SLC35F3, is responsible for moving thiamine (vitamin B1) into cells. Thiamine is essential for converting food into energy and supporting nervous system function.

To support SLC35F3:

• Eat thiamine-rich foods such as whole grains, legumes, pork, and sunflower seeds

• Limit alcohol intake, which interferes with thiamine absorption and utilization

Conclusion: Supporting Your Genes Starts with Your Gut

The discovery of SLC35F2 as the queuine transporter shows that nutrition is more than just fuel; it is information. The foods we eat directly affect the bacteria in our gut, which in turn produce nutrients like queuine. These nutrients support essential cellular functions, but only if they can get inside the cell through transporters like SLC35F2.

By eating more fiber, reducing ultra-processed foods, and choosing diverse, nutrient-rich whole foods, you support both your gut microbiome and your cellular health.

When your gut is well-fed, your cells are better equipped to function, recover, and resist disease.

Works Cited (MLA Style)

Burtnyak, Lyubomyr, et al. “The Oncogene SLC35F2 Is a High-Specificity Transporter for the Micronutrients Queuine and Queuosine.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 121, no. 27, 2025, e2425364122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2425364122.

Dahl, Wendy J., and Volker Mai. Go With Your Gut: Understanding Microbiota and Prebiotics. FSHN11-10/FS171, UF/IFAS Extension, June 2011. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-fs171-2011.

Dahl, Wendy J., and Volker Mai. Go With Your Gut: Understanding Probiotics. FSHN11-11/FS172, UF/IFAS Extension, June 2011. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-fs172-2011.