bims-mascan 2022-08-28 papers

bims-mascan

Biomed News

on Mass spectrometry in cancer research

Issue of 2022‒08‒28
34 papers selected by
Giovanny Rodriguez Blanco
University of Edinburgh

LipidMS 3.0: an R-package and a web-based tool for LC-MS/MS data processing and lipid annotation.
Lipidomic comparison of 2D and 3D colon cancer cell culture models.
High-Throughput Phospholipidomics of Candida Cells: From Sample Preparation to Data Analysis.
Regulation of tumor metabolism by post translational modifications on metabolic enzymes.
Mass spectrometry-based approaches to explore metabolism regulating ferroptosis.
MicroRNAs as Regulators of Cancer Cell Energy Metabolism.
An Open-Source Pipeline for Processing Direct Infusion Mass Spectrometry Data of the Human Plasma Metabolome.
Prostanoid Metabolites as Biomarkers in Human Disease.
p73α1, an Isoform of the p73 Tumor Suppressor, Modulates Lipid Metabolism and Cancer Cell Growth via Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase-1.
Histone Acid Extraction and High Throughput Mass Spectrometry to Profile Histone Modifications in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Isotope Ratio Outlier Analysis (IROA) for HPLC-TOFMS-Based Metabolomics of Human Urine.
Prediction of peptide mass spectral libraries with machine learning.
Human Hepatocyte 4-Acetoxy-N,N-Diisopropyltryptamine Metabolite Profiling by Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography Coupled with High-Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry.
Advances in measuring cancer cell metabolism with subcellular resolution.
Acyl-CoA thioesterase 9 promotes tumor growth and metastasis through reprogramming of fatty acid metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma.
A Micro-Scale Analytical Method for Determining Glycogen Turnover by NMR and FTMS.
Targeted Lipidomics Analysis of Lysine 179 Acetylation of ACSF2 in Rat Hepatic Stellate Cells.
Proteogenomics and Differential Ion Mobility Enable the Exploration of the Mutational Landscape in Colon Cancer Cells.
Nanomedicines Targeting Metabolism in the Tumor Microenvironment.
Mass Spectrometric Metabolic Fingerprinting of 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (2-DG)-Induced Inhibition of Glycolysis and Comparative Analysis of Methionine Restriction versus Glucose Restriction under Perfusion Culture in the Murine L929 Model System.
Effect of Expression of Nuclear-Encoded Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit 4 Isoforms on Metabolic Profiles of Glioma Cells.
An Epigenetic Role of Mitochondria in Cancer.
β'-Phenylfentanyl Metabolism in Primary Human Hepatocyte Incubations: Identification of Potential Biomarkers of Exposure in Clinical and Forensic Toxicology.
Lipid Metabolism in Glioblastoma: From De Novo Synthesis to Storage.
Addressing big data challenges in mass spectrometry-based metabolomics.
Analyzing cell-type-specific dynamics of metabolism in kidney repair.
Lipidomics-Assisted GWAS (lGWAS) Approach for Improving High-Temperature Stress Tolerance of Crops.
Fatty acid sensing in the brain: The role of glia-neuronal metabolic crosstalk and horizontal lipid flux.
Lipid metabolism in sarcopenia.
Mass Spectrometry-Based Nontargeted and Targeted Analytical Approaches in Fingerprinting and Metabolomics of Food and Agricultural Research.
β-Hydroxybutyrate and Medium-Chain Fatty Acids are Metabolized by Different Cell Types in Mouse Cerebral Cortex Slices.
Fatty acid translocase: a culprit of lipid metabolism dysfunction in disease.
Histone deacetylase 10 liberates spermidine to support polyamine homeostasis and tumor cell growth.
Recent Progress in Analysis of Intermediary Metabolism by ex vivo 13 C NMR.

Bioinformatics. 2022 Aug 25. pii: btac581. [Epub ahead of print]

LipidMS 3.0: an R-package and a web-based tool for LC-MS/MS data processing and lipid annotation.

María Isabel Alcoriza-Balaguer, Juan Carlos García-Cañaveras, Francisco Javier Ripoll-Esteve, Marta Roca, Agustín Lahoz.

MOTIVATION: LipidMS was initially envisioned to use fragmentation rules and data-independent acquisition (DIA) for lipid annotation. However, data-dependent acquisition (DDA) remains the most widespread acquisition mode for untargeted LC-MS/MS-based lipidomics. Here we present LipidMS 3.0, an R package that not only adds DDA and new lipid classes to its pipeline, but also the required functionalities to cover the whole data analysis workflow from pre-processing (i.e., peak-peaking, alignment and grouping) to lipid annotation.RESULTS: We applied the new workflow in the data analysis of a commercial human serum pool spiked with 68 representative lipid standards acquired in full scan, DDA and DIA modes. When focusing on the detected lipid standard features and total identified lipids, LipidMS 3.0 data pre-processing performance is similar to XCMS, whereas it complements the annotations returned by MS-DIAL, providing a higher level of structural information and a lower number of incorrect annotations. To extend and facilitate LipidMS 3.0 usage among less experienced R-programming users, the workflow was also implemented as a web-based application.
AVAILABILITY: The LipidMS R-package is freely available at https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=LipidMS and as a website at http://www.lipidms.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btac581
J Mass Spectrom. 2022 Aug;57(8): e4880

Lipidomic comparison of 2D and 3D colon cancer cell culture models.

Fernando Tobias, Amanda B Hummon.

  Altered lipid metabolism is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Cellular proliferation and de novo synthesis of lipids are related to cancer progression. In this study, we evaluated the lipidomic profile of two-dimensional (2D) monolayer and multicellular tumor spheroids from the HCT 116 colon carcinoma cell line. We utilized serial trypsinization on the spheroid samples to generate three cellular populations representing the proliferative, quiescent, and necrotic regions of the spheroid. This analysis enabled a comprehensive identification and quantification of lipids produced in each of the spheroid layer and 2D cultures. We show that lipid subclasses associated with lipid droplets form in oxygen-restricted and acidic regions of spheroids and are produced at higher levels than in 2D cultures. Additionally, sphingolipid production, which is implicated in cell death and survival pathways, is higher in spheroids relative to 2D cells. Finally, we show that increased numbers of lipids composed of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are produced in the quiescent and necrotic regions of the spheroid. The lipidomic signature for each region and cell culture type highlights the importance of understanding the spatial aspects of cancer biology. These results provide additional lipid biomarkers in colon cancer cells that can be further studied to target pivotal lipid production pathways.

Keywords:  TME; acidosis; cancer; fatty acid/metabolism; hypoxia; lipid droplets; mass spectrometry; serial trypsinization; spheroids; triacylglycerol

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/jms.4880
Methods Mol Biol. 2022 ;2542 127-140

High-Throughput Phospholipidomics of Candida Cells: From Sample Preparation to Data Analysis.

Mohit Kumar, Rajendra Prasad, Ashutosh Singh.

  Laboratory identification of Candida species is often complicated by overlapping features. Species specificity is critical to the appropriate use of interventions.Accurate identification and quantification of lipid species in complex lipid mixtures are crucial for assigning biological functions to lipids of fungi. Recently, much has been achieved in the field of mass spectrometry, allowing high-throughput screening of simple and complex lipid structures. The next-generation, high-resolution mass spectrometers allow accurate analysis and a much broader spectrum for lipidomic studies; nonetheless, these are often expensive, and data analysis is complex, which presents a challenge in routine lipid studies. Alternatively, by coupling the ion trap with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in an HPLC-ESI-MS/MS (high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry) platform, we can achieve rapid, sensitive, and accurate quantification of lipids in Candida extracts. Moreover, the approach is simple and relatively cost-effective. Below, we discuss the key features of ion trap HPLC-ESI-MS/MS-based comparative lipidomics of Candida cells.

Keywords:  Cell membrane; Ion trap-based triple quadrupole mass spectrometry; Lipid profiles; Phospholipids

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2549-1_9
Cancer Gene Ther. 2022 Aug 23.

Regulation of tumor metabolism by post translational modifications on metabolic enzymes.

Abhisha Sawant Dessai, Poonam Kalhotra, Aaron T Novickis, Subhamoy Dasgupta.

Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer development, progression, and metastasis. Several metabolic pathways such as glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, lipid metabolism, and glutamine catabolism are frequently altered to support cancer growth. Importantly, the activity of the rate-limiting metabolic enzymes in these pathways are specifically modulated in cancer cells. This is achieved by transcriptional, translational, and post translational regulations that enhance the expression, activity, stability, and substrate sensitivity of the rate-limiting enzymes. These mechanisms allow the enzymes to retain increased activity supporting the metabolic needs of rapidly growing tumors, sustain their survival in the hostile tumor microenvironments and in the metastatic lesions. In this review, we primarily focused on the post translational modifications of the rate-limiting enzymes in the glucose and glutamine metabolism, TCA cycle, and fatty acid metabolism promoting tumor progression and metastasis.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41417-022-00521-x
BMB Rep. 2022 Aug 23. pii: 5675. [Epub ahead of print]

Mass spectrometry-based approaches to explore metabolism regulating ferroptosis.

Chi Thi Ngoc Nguyen, Seon Min Kim, Yun Pyo Kang.

Ferroptosis is a type of programmed cell death distinct from apoptosis or necroptosis. Ferroptosis is well characterized by an iron-dependent accumulation of lipid peroxides and disruption of cellular membrane integrity. Many metabolic alterations can prevent or accelerate ferroptosis induction. Recent advances in analytical techniques of mass spectrometry have allowed high-throughput analysis of metabolites known to be critical for understanding ferroptosis regulatory metabolism. In this review, we introduce mass spectrometry-based analytical methods contributing to recent discovery of various metabolic pathways regulating ferroptosis, focusing on cysteine metabolism, antioxidant metabolism, and poly-unsaturated fatty acid metabolism.
J Pers Med. 2022 Aug 18. pii: 1329. [Epub ahead of print]12(8):

MicroRNAs as Regulators of Cancer Cell Energy Metabolism.

Natarajaseenivasan Suriya Muthukumaran, Prema Velusamy, Charles Solomon Akino Mercy, Dianne Langford, Kalimuthusamy Natarajaseenivasan, Santhanam Shanmughapriya.

  To adapt to the tumor environment or to escape chemotherapy, cancer cells rapidly reprogram their metabolism. The hallmark biochemical phenotype of cancer cells is the shift in metabolic reprogramming towards aerobic glycolysis. It was thought that this metabolic shift to glycolysis alone was sufficient for cancer cells to meet their heightened energy and metabolic demands for proliferation and survival. Recent studies, however, show that cancer cells rely on glutamine, lipid, and mitochondrial metabolism for energy. Oncogenes and scavenging pathways control many of these metabolic changes, and several metabolic and tumorigenic pathways are post-transcriptionally regulated by microRNA (miRNAs). Genes that are directly or indirectly responsible for energy production in cells are either negatively or positively regulated by miRNAs. Therefore, some miRNAs play an oncogenic role by regulating the metabolic shift that occurs in cancer cells. Additionally, miRNAs can regulate mitochondrial calcium stores and energy metabolism, thus promoting cancer cell survival, cell growth, and metastasis. In the electron transport chain (ETC), miRNAs enhance the activity of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and cytochrome c, and these apoptosome proteins are directed towards the ETC rather than to the apoptotic pathway. This review will highlight how miRNAs regulate the enzymes, signaling pathways, and transcription factors of cancer cell metabolism and mitochondrial calcium import/export pathways. The review will also focus on the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells to promote survival, proliferation, growth, and metastasis with an emphasis on the therapeutic potential of miRNAs for cancer treatment.

Keywords:  TCA; cancer metabolism; fatty acid oxidation; glucose oxidation; miRNA; pentose-phosphate pathway

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12081329
Metabolites. 2022 Aug 21. pii: 768. [Epub ahead of print]12(8):

An Open-Source Pipeline for Processing Direct Infusion Mass Spectrometry Data of the Human Plasma Metabolome.

Anna Kozlova, Timur Shkrigunov, Semyon Gusev, Maria Guseva, Elena Ponomarenko, Andrey Lisitsa.

  Direct infusion mass spectrometry (DIMS) is growing in popularity as an effective method for the screening of biological samples in clinical metabolomics. Being quick to execute, DIMS generally requires special skills when interpreting the results of measurements. By inspecting the similarities between two-dimensional electrospray ionization with quadrupole time-of-flight (ESI-QTOF) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectra, the pipeline for processing QTOF mass spectra using open-source packages (MALDIquant, MSnbase and MetaboAnalystR) was tested. Previously, all algorithmic workflows have relied on the application of software either provided by a vendor or privately developed by enthusiasts. Here, we computationally examined two ways of interpreting the DIMS results of human blood metabolomic profiling. The studied spectra were acquired using ESI-QTOF maXis Impact II (Bruker Daltonics, Billerica, MA, USA), then pre-processed using COMPASS/DataAnalysis commercial software and mapped onto the metabolites using in-lab-developed MatLab scripts. Alternatively, in this work we used the open-source packages MALDIquant, for spectrum pre-processing, and MetaboAnalystR, for data interpretation, instead of the low-availability commercial and home-made tools. Using a set of 100 plasma samples (20 from volunteers with normal body mass index and 80 from patients at different stages of obesity), we observed a high degree of concordance in annotated metabolic pathways between the proprietary DataAnalysis/MatLab pipeline and our freely available solution.

Keywords:  MALDIquant; MetaboAnalyst; MetaboAnalystR; Mummichog; direct infusion mass-spectrometry; metabolomics

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12080768
Metabolites. 2022 Aug 04. pii: 721. [Epub ahead of print]12(8):

Prostanoid Metabolites as Biomarkers in Human Disease.

Helena Idborg, Sven-Christian Pawelzik.

  Prostaglandins (PGD2, PGE2, PGF2α), prostacyclin (PGI2), and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) together form the prostanoid family of lipid mediators. As autacoids, these five primary prostanoids propagate intercellular signals and are involved in many physiological processes. Furthermore, alterations in their biosynthesis accompany a wide range of pathological conditions, which leads to substantially increased local levels during disease. Primary prostanoids are chemically instable and rapidly metabolized. Their metabolites are more stable, integrate the local production on a systemic level, and their analysis in various biological matrices yields valuable information under different pathological settings. Therefore, prostanoid metabolites may be used as diagnostic, predictive, or prognostic biomarkers in human disease. Although their potential as biomarkers is great and extensive research has identified major prostanoid metabolites that serve as target analytes in different biofluids, the number of studies that correlate prostanoid metabolite levels to disease outcome is still limited. We review the metabolism of primary prostanoids in humans, summarize the levels of prostanoid metabolites in healthy subjects, and highlight existing biomarker studies. Since analysis of prostanoid metabolites is challenging because of ongoing metabolism and limited half-lives, an emphasis of this review lies on the reliable measurement and interpretation of obtained levels.

Keywords:  LC–MS/MS; biomarker; creatinine; eicosanoid; metabolism; prostacyclin; prostaglandin; prostanoid; thromboxane

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12080721
Cells. 2022 Aug 13. pii: 2516. [Epub ahead of print]11(16):

p73α1, an Isoform of the p73 Tumor Suppressor, Modulates Lipid Metabolism and Cancer Cell Growth via Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase-1.

Zachary Rabow, Kyra Laubach, Xiangmudong Kong, Tong Shen, Shakur Mohibi, Jin Zhang, Oliver Fiehn, Xinbin Chen.

  Altered lipid metabolism is a hallmark of cancer. p73, a p53 family member, regulates cellular processes and is expressed as multiple isoforms. However, the role of p73 in regulating lipid metabolism is not well-characterized. Previously, we found that loss of p73 exon 12 (E12) leads to an isoform switch from p73α to p73α1, the latter of which has strong tumor suppressive activity. In this study, comprehensive untargeted metabolomics was performed to determine whether p73α1 alters lipid metabolism in non-small cell lung carcinoma cells. RNA-seq and molecular biology approaches were combined to identify lipid metabolism genes altered upon loss of E12 and identify a direct target of p73α1. We found that loss of E12 leads to decreased levels of phosphatidylcholines, and this was due to decreased expression of genes involved in phosphatidylcholine synthesis. Additionally, we found that E12-knockout cells had increased levels of phosphatidylcholines containing saturated fatty acids (FAs) and decreased levels of phosphatidylcholines containing monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). We then found that p73α1 inhibits cancer cell viability through direct transcriptional suppression of Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase-1 (SCD1), which converts saturated FAs to MUFAs. Finally, we showed that p73α1-mediated suppression of SCD1 leads to increased ratios of saturated FAs to MUFAs.

Keywords:  Kennedy pathway; Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase; lipid metabolism; p73 isoforms; the p53 family

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11162516
Curr Protoc. 2022 Aug;2(8): e527

Histone Acid Extraction and High Throughput Mass Spectrometry to Profile Histone Modifications in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Ray Scheid, James A Dowell, Dean Sanders, Jianjun Jiang, John M Denu, Xuehua Zhong.

  Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) play important roles in many biological processes, including gene regulation and chromatin dynamics, and are thus of high interest across many fields of biological research. Chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with sequencing (ChIP-seq) is a powerful tool to profile histone PTMs in vivo. This method, however, is largely dependent on the specificity and availability of suitable commercial antibodies. While mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic approaches to quantitatively measure histone PTMs have been developed in mammals and several other model organisms, such methods are currently not readily available in plants. One major challenge for the implementation of such methods in plants has been the difficulty in isolating sufficient amounts of pure, high-quality histones, a step rendered difficult by the presence of the cell wall. Here, we developed a high-yielding histone extraction and purification method optimized for Arabidopsis thaliana that can be used to obtain high-quality histones for MS. In contrast to other methods used in plants, this approach is relatively simple, and does not require membranes or additional specialized steps, such as gel excision or chromatography, to extract highly purified histones. We also describe methods for producing MS-ready histone peptides through chemical labeling and digestion. Finally, we describe an optimized method to quantify and analyze the resulting histone PTM data using a modified version of EpiProfile 2.0 for Arabidopsis. In all, the workflow described here can be used to measure changes to histone PTMs resulting from various treatments, stresses, and time courses, as well as in different mutant lines. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Nuclear isolation and histone acid extraction Basic Protocol 2: Peptide labeling, digestion, and desalting Basic Protocol 3: Histone HPLC-MS/MS and data analysis.

Keywords:  Arabidopsis; acid extraction; histones; mass spectrometry; plant

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/cpz1.527
Metabolites. 2022 Aug 12. pii: 741. [Epub ahead of print]12(8):

Isotope Ratio Outlier Analysis (IROA) for HPLC-TOFMS-Based Metabolomics of Human Urine.

Fadi Fadil, Claudia Samol, Raffaela S Berger, Fabian Kellermeier, Wolfram Gronwald, Peter J Oefner, Katja Dettmer.

  Metabolic fingerprinting by mass spectrometry aims at the comprehensive, semiquantitative analysis of metabolites. Isotope dilution, if successfully implemented, may provide a more reliable, relative quantification. Therefore, the 13C labeled yeast extract of the IROA TruQuant kit was added as an internal standard (IS) to human urine samples measured in full-scan mode on a high-performance liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometer (HPLC-TOFMS) system. The isotope ratio approach enabled the analysis of 112 metabolites. The correlation with reference data did not improve significantly using 12C/13C ratios compared to absolute 12C peak areas. Moreover, using an intricate 13C-labeled standard increased the complexity of the mass spectra, which made correct signal annotation more challenging. On the positive side, the ratio approach helps to reduce batch effects, but it does not perform better than computational methods such as the "removebatcheffect" function in the R package Limma.

Keywords:  HPLC; IROA; labeled yeast extract; mass spectrometry; metabolic fingerprinting; metabolomics; relative quantification; stable isotope

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12080741
Nat Biotechnol. 2022 Aug 25.

Prediction of peptide mass spectral libraries with machine learning.

Jürgen Cox.

The recent development of machine learning methods to identify peptides in complex mass spectrometric data constitutes a major breakthrough in proteomics. Longstanding methods for peptide identification, such as search engines and experimental spectral libraries, are being superseded by deep learning models that allow the fragmentation spectra of peptides to be predicted from their amino acid sequence. These new approaches, including recurrent neural networks and convolutional neural networks, use predicted in silico spectral libraries rather than experimental libraries to achieve higher sensitivity and/or specificity in the analysis of proteomics data. Machine learning is galvanizing applications that involve large search spaces, such as immunopeptidomics and proteogenomics. Current challenges in the field include the prediction of spectra for peptides with post-translational modifications and for cross-linked pairs of peptides. Permeation of machine-learning-based spectral prediction into search engines and spectrum-centric data-independent acquisition workflows for diverse peptide classes and measurement conditions will continue to push sensitivity and dynamic range in proteomics applications in the coming years.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01424-w
Metabolites. 2022 Jul 29. pii: 705. [Epub ahead of print]12(8):

Human Hepatocyte 4-Acetoxy-N,N-Diisopropyltryptamine Metabolite Profiling by Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography Coupled with High-Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Sara Malaca, Marilyn A Huestis, Leonardo Lattanzio, Luigi T Marsella, Adriano Tagliabracci, Jeremy Carlier, Francesco P Busardò.

  Tryptamine intoxications and fatalities are increasing, although these novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are not controlled in most countries. There are few data on the metabolic pathways and enzymes involved in tryptamine biotransformation. 4-acetoxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (4-AcO-DiPT) is a synthetic tryptamine related to 4-hydroxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (4-OH-DiPT), 4-acetyloxy-N,N-dipropyltryptamine (4-AcO-DPT), and 4-acetoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (4-AcO-DMT). The aim of this study was to determine the best 4-AcO-DiPT metabolites to identify 4-AcO-DiPT consumption through human hepatocyte metabolism and high-resolution mass spectrometry. 4-AcO-DiPT metabolites were predicted in silico with GLORYx freeware to assist in metabolite identification. 4-AcO-DiPT was incubated with 10-donor-pooled human hepatocytes and sample analysis was performed with reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) in positive- and negative-ion modes. Software-assisted LC-HRMS/MS raw data mining was performed. A total of 47 phase I and II metabolites were predicted, and six metabolites were identified after 3 h incubation following ester hydrolysis, O-glucuronidation, O-sulfation, N-oxidation, and N-dealkylation. All second-generation metabolites were derived from the only first-generation metabolite detected after ester hydrolysis (4-OH-DiPT). The metabolite with the second-most-intense signal was 4-OH-iPT-sulfate followed by 4-OH-DiPT-glucuronide, indicating that glucuronidation and sulfation are common in this tryptamine's metabolic pathway. 4-OH-DiPT, 4-OH-iPT, and 4-OH-DiPT-N-oxide are suggested as optimal biomarkers to identify 4-AcO-DiPT consumption.

Keywords:  4-AcO-DiPT; data mining; hepatocyte metabolism; in silico prediction; liquid chromatography–high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS); tryptamine

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12080705
Nat Methods. 2022 Aug 25.

Advances in measuring cancer cell metabolism with subcellular resolution.

Victor Ruiz-Rodado, Adrian Lita, Mioara Larion.

Characterizing metabolism in cancer is crucial for understanding tumor biology and for developing potential therapies. Although most metabolic investigations analyze averaged metabolite levels from all cell compartments, subcellular metabolomics can provide more detailed insight into the biochemical processes associated with the disease. Methodological limitations have historically prevented the wider application of subcellular metabolomics in cancer research. Recently, however, ways to distinguish and identify metabolic pathways within organelles have been developed, including state-of-the-art methods to monitor metabolism in situ (such as mass spectrometry-based imaging, Raman spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy), to isolate key organelles via new approaches and to use tailored isotope-tracing strategies. Herein, we examine the advantages and limitations of these developments and look to the future of this field of research.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-022-01572-6
Liver Int. 2022 Aug 25.

Acyl-CoA thioesterase 9 promotes tumor growth and metastasis through reprogramming of fatty acid metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Bao Wang, Hui Zhang, Yafan Chen, Longquan Hu, Yiyuan Tian, Hongwei Tong, Gang Wang, Chong Chen, Peng Yuan.

  Acyl-CoA thioesterase 9 (ACOT9) is a critical regulator of cellular utilization of fatty acids by catalyzing the hydrolysis of acyl-CoA thioesters to non-esterified fatty acid and coenzyme A (CoA). Recently, ACOT9 was reported to participate in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD), which arises from aberrant lipid metabolism and serves as a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the functions of ACOT9 in carcinogenesis and aberrant lipid metabolism in HCC remain unexplored. Here, we found that ACOT9 expression is significantly elevated in HCC at least in partial due to the down-regulation of miR-449c-3p. Upregulation of ACOT9 is closely associated with poor prognosis for patients with HCC. Knockdown of ACOT9 expression in HCC cells significantly decreased cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion, mainly through suppression of G1-to-S cell cycle transition and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). By contrast, forced ACOT9 expression promoted HCC growth and metastasis. In addition, we found that ACOT9 reprogrammed lipid metabolism in HCC cells by increasing de novo lipogenesis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that increased lipogenesis was involved in ACOT9-promoted HCC growth and metastasis. Altogether, we demonstrate that ACOT9 plays a critical oncogenic role in the promotion of tumor growth and metastasis by reprogramming lipid metabolism in HCC, indicating ACOT9 as a potential therapeutic target in treatment of HCC.

Keywords:  ACOT9; HCC; growth; lipid metabolism; metastasis

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/liv.15409
Metabolites. 2022 Aug 18. pii: 760. [Epub ahead of print]12(8):

A Micro-Scale Analytical Method for Determining Glycogen Turnover by NMR and FTMS.

Timothy L Scott, Juan Zhu, Teresa A Cassel, Sara Vicente-Muñoz, Penghui Lin, Richard M Higashi, Andrew N Lane, Teresa W-M Fan.

  Glycogen is a readily deployed intracellular energy storage macromolecule composed of branched chains of glucose anchored to the protein glycogenin. Although glycogen primarily occurs in the liver and muscle, it is found in most tissues, and its metabolism has been shown to be important in cancers and immune cells. Robust analysis of glycogen turnover requires stable isotope tracing plus a reliable means of quantifying total and labeled glycogen derived from precursors such as 13C6-glucose. Current methods for analyzing glycogen are time- and sample-consuming, at best semi-quantitative, and unable to measure stable isotope enrichment. Here we describe a microscale method for quantifying both intact and acid-hydrolyzed glycogen by ultra-high-resolution Fourier transform mass spectrometric (UHR-FTMS) and/or NMR analysis in stable isotope resolved metabolomics (SIRM) studies. Polar metabolites, including intact glycogen and their 13C positional isotopomer distributions, are first measured in crude biological extracts by high resolution NMR, followed by rapid and efficient acid hydrolysis to glucose under N2 in a focused beam microwave reactor, with subsequent analysis by UHR-FTMS and/or NMR. We optimized the microwave digestion time, temperature, and oxygen purging in terms of recovery versus degradation and found 10 min at 110-115 °C to give >90% recovery. The method was applied to track the fate of 13C6-glucose in primary human lung BEAS-2B cells, human macrophages, murine liver and patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDTX) in vivo, and the fate of 2H7-glucose in ex vivo lung organotypic tissue cultures of a lung cancer patient. We measured the incorporation of 13C6-glucose into glycogen and its metabolic intermediates, UDP-Glucose and glucose-1-phosphate, to demonstrate the utility of the method in tracing glycogen turnover in cells and tissues. The method offers a quantitative, sensitive, and convenient means to analyze glycogen turnover in mg amounts of complex biological materials.

Keywords:  13C6-glucose; glycogen turnover; microwave-assisted hydrolysis; stable isotope resolved metabolomics (SIRM)

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12080760
Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat. 2022 Aug 23. pii: S1098-8823(22)00061-2. [Epub ahead of print] 106671

Targeted Lipidomics Analysis of Lysine 179 Acetylation of ACSF2 in Rat Hepatic Stellate Cells.

Meili Wang, Ying Su, Chenjian Hou, Kehan Ren, Xiaoli Liu, Shanyu Zhao, Yuxiang Wang, Xiuping Liu.

  Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is generally recognized as a central driver of liver fibrosis. Metabolism of fatty acids (FA) play a critical role in the activation of HSCs. Proteomics analysis on lysine acetylation of proteins in activated HSCs in our previous study indicated that acetylation of the lysine residues on ACSF2 is one of the most significantly upregulated sites in activated-HSCs and K179 is its important acetylation site. However, the role of acetylation at K179 of ACSF2 on activation of HSCs and free fatty acids (FFA) metabolism remains largely unknown. The reported study demonstrates that acetylation at K179 of ACSF2 promoted HSCs activation. The targeted lipidomic analysis indicated K179 acetylation of ACSF2 mainly affected long chain fatty acids (LCFA) metabolism, especially oleic acid, elaidic acid and palmitoleic acid. And the liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis further demonstrated the formation of many long-chain acyl-CoAs were catalyzed by acetylation at K179 of ACSF2 including oleic acid, elaidic acid and palmitoleic acid. In conclusion, this study indicated that ACSF2 may be a potential therapeutic targets by regulating the metabolism of LCFA for liver fibrosis.

Keywords:  ACSF2; acetylation; free fatty acids; hepatic stellate cells; targeted lipidomics

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2022.106671
Anal Chem. 2022 Aug 22.

Proteogenomics and Differential Ion Mobility Enable the Exploration of the Mutational Landscape in Colon Cancer Cells.

Zhaoguan Wu, Éric Bonneil, Michael Belford, Cornelia Boeser, Maria Virginia Ruiz Cuevas, Sébastien Lemieux, Jean-Jacques Dunyach, Pierre Thibault.

The sensitivity and depth of proteomic analyses are limited by isobaric ions and interferences that preclude the identification of low abundance peptides. Extensive sample fractionation is often required to extend proteome coverage when sample amount is not a limitation. Ion mobility devices provide a viable alternate approach to resolve confounding ions and improve peak capacity and mass spectrometry (MS) sensitivity. Here, we report the integration of differential ion mobility with segmented ion fractionation (SIFT) to enhance the comprehensiveness of proteomic analyses. The combination of differential ion mobility and SIFT, where narrow windows of ∼m/z 100 are acquired in turn, is found particularly advantageous in the analysis of protein digests and typically provided more than 60% gain in identification compared to conventional single-shot LC-MS/MS. The application of this approach is further demonstrated for the analysis of tryptic digests from different colorectal cancer cell lines where the enhanced sensitivity enabled the identification of single amino acid variants that were correlated with the corresponding transcriptomic data sets.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.2c02056
Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2022 ;10 943906

Nanomedicines Targeting Metabolism in the Tumor Microenvironment.

Mengdi Ren, Xiaoqiang Zheng, Huan Gao, Aimin Jiang, Yu Yao, Wangxiao He.

  Cancer cells reprogram their metabolism to meet their growing demand for bioenergy and biosynthesis. The metabolic profile of cancer cells usually includes dysregulation of main nutritional metabolic pathways and the production of metabolites, which leads to a tumor microenvironment (TME) having the characteristics of acidity, hypoxic, and/or nutrient depletion. Therapies targeting metabolism have become an active and revolutionary research topic for anti-cancer drug development. The differential metabolic vulnerabilities between tumor cells and other cells within TME provide nanotechnology a therapeutic window of anti-cancer. In this review, we present the metabolic characteristics of intrinsic cancer cells and TME and summarize representative strategies of nanoparticles in metabolism-regulating anti-cancer therapy. Then, we put forward the challenges and opportunities of using nanoparticles in this emerging field.

Keywords:  cancer treatment; metabolic reprograming; metabolism; nanomedicine; tumor microenvironment

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2022.943906
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Aug 16. pii: 9220. [Epub ahead of print]23(16):

Mass Spectrometric Metabolic Fingerprinting of 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (2-DG)-Induced Inhibition of Glycolysis and Comparative Analysis of Methionine Restriction versus Glucose Restriction under Perfusion Culture in the Murine L929 Model System.

Julian Manuel Volland, Johannes Kaupp, Werner Schmitz, Anna Chiara Wünsch, Julia Balint, Marc Möllmann, Mohamed El-Mesery, Kyra Frackmann, Leslie Peter, Stefan Hartmann, Alexander Christian Kübler, Axel Seher.

  All forms of restriction, from caloric to amino acid to glucose restriction, have been established in recent years as therapeutic options for various diseases, including cancer. However, usually there is no direct comparison between the different restriction forms. Additionally, many cell culture experiments take place under static conditions. In this work, we used a closed perfusion culture in murine L929 cells over a period of 7 days to compare methionine restriction (MetR) and glucose restriction (LowCarb) in the same system and analysed the metabolome by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In addition, we analysed the inhibition of glycolysis by 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) over a period of 72 h. 2-DG induced very fast a low-energy situation by a reduced glycolysis metabolite flow rate resulting in pyruvate, lactate, and ATP depletion. Under perfusion culture, both MetR and LowCarb were established on the metabolic level. Interestingly, over the period of 7 days, the metabolome of MetR and LowCarb showed more similarities than differences. This leads to the conclusion that the conditioned medium, in addition to the different restriction forms, substantially reprogramm the cells on the metabolic level.

Keywords:  2-DG; 2-deoxy-D-glucose; amino acid restriction; caloric restriction; energy restriction; glucose restriction; low carb; mass spectrometry; methionine; perfusion culture

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23169220
Metabolites. 2022 Aug 16. pii: 748. [Epub ahead of print]12(8):

Effect of Expression of Nuclear-Encoded Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit 4 Isoforms on Metabolic Profiles of Glioma Cells.

Claudia R Oliva, Md Yousuf Ali, Susanne Flor, Corinne E Griguer.

  Although often effective at treating newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM), increasing evidence suggests that chemo- and radiotherapy-induced alterations in tumor metabolism promote GBM recurrence and aggressiveness, as well as treatment resistance. Recent studies have demonstrated that alterations in glioma cell metabolism, induced by a switch in the isoform expression of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4 (COX4), a key regulatory subunit of mammalian cytochrome c oxidase, could promote these effects. To understand how the two COX4 isoforms (COX4-1 and COX4-2) differentially affect glioma metabolism, glioma samples harvested from COX4-1- or COX4-2-overexpressing U251 cells were profiled using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry GC-MS and Liquid Chromatography - Tandem Mass Spectrometry LC-MS/MS metabolomics platforms. The concentration of 362 metabolites differed significantly in the two cell types. The two most significantly upregulated pathways associated with COX4-1 overexpression were purine and glutathione metabolism; the two most significantly downregulated metabolic pathways associated with COX4-1 expression were glycolysis and fatty acid metabolism. Our study provides new insights into how Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) regulatory subunits affect cellular metabolic networks in GBM and identifies potential targets that may be exploited for therapeutic benefit.

Keywords:  COX4-1; cytochrome c oxidase; glioma; metabolomics

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12080748
Cells. 2022 Aug 13. pii: 2518. [Epub ahead of print]11(16):

An Epigenetic Role of Mitochondria in Cancer.

Yu'e Liu, Chao Chen, Xinye Wang, Yihong Sun, Jin Zhang, Juxiang Chen, Yufeng Shi.

  Mitochondria are not only the main energy supplier but are also the cell metabolic center regulating multiple key metaborates that play pivotal roles in epigenetics regulation. These metabolites include acetyl-CoA, α-ketoglutarate (α-KG), S-adenosyl methionine (SAM), NAD+, and O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc), which are the main substrates for DNA methylation and histone post-translation modifications, essential for gene transcriptional regulation and cell fate determination. Tumorigenesis is attributed to many factors, including gene mutations and tumor microenvironment. Mitochondria and epigenetics play essential roles in tumor initiation, evolution, metastasis, and recurrence. Targeting mitochondrial metabolism and epigenetics are promising therapeutic strategies for tumor treatment. In this review, we summarize the roles of mitochondria in key metabolites required for epigenetics modification and in cell fate regulation and discuss the current strategy in cancer therapies via targeting epigenetic modifiers and related enzymes in metabolic regulation. This review is an important contribution to the understanding of the current metabolic-epigenetic-tumorigenesis concept.

Keywords:  cancer; epigenetics; metabolism; mitochondria

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11162518
J Anal Toxicol. 2022 Aug 27. pii: bkac065. [Epub ahead of print]

β'-Phenylfentanyl Metabolism in Primary Human Hepatocyte Incubations: Identification of Potential Biomarkers of Exposure in Clinical and Forensic Toxicology.

Pietro Brunetti, Alfredo F Lo Faro, Annagiulia Di Trana, Angelo Montana, Giuseppe Basile, Jeremy Carlier, Francesco P Busardò.

  From 2014 onwards, illicit fentanyl and analogues have caused numerous intoxications and fatalities worldwide, impacting the demographics of opioid-related overdoses. The identification of cases involving fentanyl analogues is crucial in clinical and forensic settings to treat patients, elucidate intoxications, address drug use disorders, and tackle drug trends. However, in analytical toxicology, the concentration of fentanyl analogues in biological matrices is low, making their detection challenging. Therefore, the identification of specific metabolite biomarkers is often required to document consumption. β'-Phenylfentanyl (N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl]-benzenepropanamide) is a fentanyl analogue that was first detected in Sweden in 2017 and has recently reemerged onto the American illicit drug market. There is little data available on β'-phenylfentanyl effects and toxicokinetics, and its metabolism is yet to be studied. We aimed to investigate β'-phenylfentanyl human metabolism to identify potential biomarkers of use. To assist in β'-phenylfentanyl metabolite identification, a list of putative reactions was generated using in silico predictions with GLORYx freeware. β'-phenylfentanyl was incubated with cryopreserved 10-donor-pooled human hepatocytes, analyses were performed by liquid chromatography-high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS-MS), and data were processed using a partially automated targeted/untargeted approach with Compound Discoverer. We identified 26 metabolites produced by N-dealkylation, oxidation, hydroxylation, O-glucuronidation, O-methylation, and combinations thereof. We suggest β'-phenylnorfentanyl (N-phenyl-N-4-piperidinyl-benzenepropanamide) and further metabolites 1-oxo-N-phenyl-N-4-piperidinyl-benzenepropanamide and 1-hydroxy-N-phenyl-N-4-piperidinyl-benzenepropanamide as major biomarkers of β'-phenylfentanyl use. In silico predictions were mostly wrong, and β'-phenylfentanyl metabolic fate substantially differed from that of a closely related analogue incubated in the same conditions, highlighting the value of the experimental assessment of NPS human metabolism. In vivo data are necessary to confirm the present results. However, the present results may be necessary to help analytical toxicologists identify β'-phenylfentanyl-positive cases to provide authentic samples.

Keywords:   In silico metabolite prediction; 3-Phenylpropanoylfentanyl; Fentanyl analogue; Human hepatocyte metabolism; Liquid chromatography–high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry; Software-assisted data mining; Synthetic opioid; β’-Phenylfentanyl

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkac065
Biomedicines. 2022 Aug 11. pii: 1943. [Epub ahead of print]10(8):

Lipid Metabolism in Glioblastoma: From De Novo Synthesis to Storage.

Yongjun Kou, Feng Geng, Deliang Guo.

  Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most lethal primary brain tumor. With limited therapeutic options, novel therapies are desperately needed. Recent studies have shown that GBM acquires large amounts of lipids for rapid growth through activation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP-1), a master transcription factor that regulates fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis, and cholesterol uptake. Interestingly, GBM cells divert substantial quantities of lipids into lipid droplets (LDs), a specific storage organelle for neutral lipids, to prevent lipotoxicity by increasing the expression of diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) and sterol-O-acyltransferase 1 (SOAT1), which convert excess fatty acids and cholesterol to triacylglycerol and cholesteryl esters, respectively. In this review, we will summarize recent progress on our understanding of lipid metabolism regulation in GBM to promote tumor growth and discuss novel strategies to specifically induce lipotoxicity to tumor cells through disrupting lipid storage, a promising new avenue for treating GBM.

Keywords:  DGAT1; SOAT1; SREBP-1; cholesterol; fatty acids; glioblastoma; lipid droplets; lipotoxicity

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10081943
Chem Commun (Camb). 2022 Aug 23.

Addressing big data challenges in mass spectrometry-based metabolomics.

Jian Guo, Huaxu Yu, Shipei Xing, Tao Huan.

Advancements in computer science and software engineering have greatly facilitated mass spectrometry (MS)-based untargeted metabolomics. Nowadays, gigabytes of metabolomics data are routinely generated from MS platforms, containing condensed structural and quantitative information from thousands of metabolites. Manual data processing is almost impossible due to the large data size. Therefore, in the "omics" era, we are faced with new challenges, the big data challenges of how to accurately and efficiently process the raw data, extract the biological information, and visualize the results from the gigantic amount of collected data. Although important, proposing solutions to address these big data challenges requires broad interdisciplinary knowledge, which can be challenging for many metabolomics practitioners. Our laboratory in the Department of Chemistry at the University of British Columbia is committed to combining analytical chemistry, computer science, and statistics to develop bioinformatics tools that address these big data challenges. In this Feature Article, we elaborate on the major big data challenges in metabolomics, including data acquisition, feature extraction, quantitative measurements, statistical analysis, and metabolite annotation. We also introduce our recently developed bioinformatics solutions for these challenges. Notably, all of the bioinformatics tools and source codes are freely available on GitHub (https://www.github.com/HuanLab), along with revised and regularly updated content.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d2cc03598g
Nat Metab. 2022 Aug 25.

Analyzing cell-type-specific dynamics of metabolism in kidney repair.

Gangqi Wang, Bram Heijs, Sarantos Kostidis, Ahmed Mahfouz, Rosalie G J Rietjens, Roel Bijkerk, Angela Koudijs, Loïs A K van der Pluijm, Cathelijne W van den Berg, Sébastien J Dumas, Peter Carmeliet, Martin Giera, Bernard M van den Berg, Ton J Rabelink.

A common drawback of metabolic analyses of complex biological samples is the inability to consider cell-to-cell heterogeneity in the context of an organ or tissue. To overcome this limitation, we present an advanced high-spatial-resolution metabolomics approach using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) combined with isotope tracing. This method allows mapping of cell-type-specific dynamic changes in central carbon metabolism in the context of a complex heterogeneous tissue architecture, such as the kidney. Combined with multiplexed immunofluorescence staining, this method can detect metabolic changes and nutrient partitioning in targeted cell types, as demonstrated in a bilateral renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (bIRI) experimental model. Our approach enables us to identify region-specific metabolic perturbations associated with the lesion and throughout recovery, including unexpected metabolic anomalies in cells with an apparently normal phenotype in the recovery phase. These findings may be relevant to an understanding of the homeostatic capacity of the kidney microenvironment. In sum, this method allows us to achieve resolution at the single-cell level in situ and hence to interpret cell-type-specific metabolic dynamics in the context of structure and metabolism of neighboring cells.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-022-00615-8
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Aug 20. pii: 9389. [Epub ahead of print]23(16):

Lipidomics-Assisted GWAS (lGWAS) Approach for Improving High-Temperature Stress Tolerance of Crops.

Velumani Pranneshraj, Manjeet Kaur Sangha, Ivica Djalovic, Jegor Miladinovic, Maduraimuthu Djanaguiraman.

  High-temperature stress (HT) over crop productivity is an important environmental factor demanding more attention as recent global warming trends are alarming and pose a potential threat to crop production. According to the Sixth IPCC report, future years will have longer warm seasons and frequent heat waves. Thus, the need arises to develop HT-tolerant genotypes that can be used to breed high-yielding crops. Several physiological, biochemical, and molecular alterations are orchestrated in providing HT tolerance to a genotype. One mechanism to counter HT is overcoming high-temperature-induced membrane superfluidity and structural disorganizations. Several HT lipidomic studies on different genotypes have indicated the potential involvement of membrane lipid remodelling in providing HT tolerance. Advances in high-throughput analytical techniques such as tandem mass spectrometry have paved the way for large-scale identification and quantification of the enormously diverse lipid molecules in a single run. Physiological trait-based breeding has been employed so far to identify and select HT tolerant genotypes but has several disadvantages, such as the genotype-phenotype gap affecting the efficiency of identifying the underlying genetic association. Tolerant genotypes maintain a high photosynthetic rate, stable membranes, and membrane-associated mechanisms. In this context, studying the HT-induced membrane lipid remodelling, resultant of several up-/down-regulations of genes and post-translational modifications, will aid in identifying potential lipid biomarkers for HT tolerance/susceptibility. The identified lipid biomarkers (LIPIDOTYPE) can thus be considered an intermediate phenotype, bridging the gap between genotype-phenotype (genotype-LIPIDOTYPE-phenotype). Recent works integrating metabolomics with quantitative genetic studies such as GWAS (mGWAS) have provided close associations between genotype, metabolites, and stress-tolerant phenotypes. This review has been sculpted to provide a potential workflow that combines MS-based lipidomics and the robust GWAS (lipidomics assisted GWAS-lGWAS) to identify membrane lipid remodelling related genes and associations which can be used to develop HS tolerant genotypes with enhanced membrane thermostability (MTS) and heat stable photosynthesis (HP).

Keywords:  GWAS; breeding; genotype; high temperature; lipidomics; membrane lipids; phenotype; photosynthesis; tolerance mechanisms

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23169389
Biochimie. 2022 Aug 20. pii: S0300-9084(22)00216-4. [Epub ahead of print]

Fatty acid sensing in the brain: The role of glia-neuronal metabolic crosstalk and horizontal lipid flux.

Nicholas Cleland, Kimberley D Bruce.

  The central control of energy homeostasis is a regulatory axis that involves the sensing of nutrients, signaling molecules, adipokines, and neuropeptides by neurons in the metabolic centers of the hypothalamus. However, non-neuronal glial cells are also abundant in the hypothalamus and recent findings have underscored the importance of the metabolic crosstalk and horizontal lipid flux between glia and neurons to the downstream regulation of systemic metabolism. New transgenic models and high-resolution analyses of glial phenotype and function has revealed that glia sit at the nexus between lipid metabolism and neural function, and therefore may markedly impact the brain's response to dietary lipids or the supply of brain-derived lipids. Glia comprise the main cellular compartment involved in lipid synthesis, lipoprotein production, and lipid processing in the brain. In brief, tanycytes provide an interface between peripheral lipids and neurons, astrocytes produce lipoproteins that transport lipids to neurons and other glia, oligodendrocytes use brain-derived and dietary lipids to myelinate axons and influence neuronal function, while microglia can remove unwanted lipids in the brain and contribute to lipid re-utilization through cholesterol efflux. Here, we review recent findings regarding glial-lipid transport and highlight the specific molecular factors necessary for lipid processing in the brain and, and how dysregulation of glial-neuronal metabolic crosstalk contributes to imbalanced energy homeostasis. Furthering our understanding of glial lipid metabolism will guide the design of future studies that target horizontal lipid processing in the brain to ameliorate the risk of developing obesity and metabolic disease.

Keywords:  Astrocytes; Fatty acids; Glia; Lipid; Metabolism; Microglia; Neurons; Tanycytes

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biochi.2022.08.012
Bone. 2022 Aug 22. pii: S8756-3282(22)00216-2. [Epub ahead of print] 116539

Lipid metabolism in sarcopenia.

Ahmed Al Saedi, Danielle A Debruin, Alan Hayes, Mark Hamrick.

  Sarcopenia is an age-related disease associated with loss of muscle mass and strength. This geriatric syndrome predisposes elderly individuals to a disability, falls, fractures, and death. Fat infiltration in muscle is one of the hallmarks of sarcopenia and aging. Alterations in fatty acid (FA) metabolism are evident in aging, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, with the accumulation of lipids inside muscle cells contributing to muscle insulin resistance and ceramide accumulation. These lipids include diacylglycerol, lipid droplets, intramyocellular lipids, intramuscular triglycerides, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). In this review, we examine the regulation of lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle, including lipid metabolization and storage, intervention, and the types of lipases expressed in skeletal muscle responsible for the breakdown of adipose triglyceride fats. In addition, we address the role of FAs in sarcopenia and the potential benefits of PUFAs.

Keywords:  Aging; Diacylglycerol; Fatty acids; Intramyocellular lipids; Lipid droplets

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2022.116539
J Agric Food Chem. 2022 Aug 23.

Mass Spectrometry-Based Nontargeted and Targeted Analytical Approaches in Fingerprinting and Metabolomics of Food and Agricultural Research.

Zhihao Liu, Mengliang Zhang, Pei Chen, James M Harnly, Jianghao Sun.

  Mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques have been extensively applied in food and agricultural research. This review aims to address the advances and applications of MS-based analytical strategies in nontargeted and targeted analysis and summarizes the recent publications of MS-based techniques, including flow injection MS fingerprinting, chromatography-tandem MS metabolomics, direct analysis using ambient mass spectrometry, as well as development in MS data deconvolution software packages and databases for metabolomic studies. Various nontargeted and targeted approaches are employed in marker compounds identification, material adulteration detection, and the analysis of specific classes of secondary metabolites. In the newly emerged applications, the recent advances in computer tools for the fast deconvolution of MS data in targeted secondary metabolite analysis are highlighted.

Keywords:  ambient mass spectrometry; fingerprinting; flow injection mass spectrometry; food and agriculture; metabolomics; targeted analysis

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c01878
Neurochem Res. 2022 Aug 23.

β-Hydroxybutyrate and Medium-Chain Fatty Acids are Metabolized by Different Cell Types in Mouse Cerebral Cortex Slices.

Jens V Andersen, Emil W Westi, Elliott S Neal, Blanca I Aldana, Karin Borges.

  Ketogenic diets and medium-chain triglycerides are gaining attention as treatment of neurological disorders. Their major metabolites, β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) and the medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) octanoic acid (C8) and decanoic acid (C10), are auxiliary brain fuels. To which extent these fuels compete for metabolism in different brain cell types is unknown. Here, we used acutely isolated mouse cerebral cortical slices to (1) compare metabolism of 200 µM [U-13C]C8, [U-13C]C10 and [U-13C]βHB and (2) assess potential competition between metabolism of βHB and MCFAs by quantifying metabolite 13C enrichment using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The 13C enrichment in most metabolites was similar with [U-13C]C8 and [U-13C]C10 as substrates, but several fold lower with [U-13C]βHB. The 13C enrichment in glutamate was in a similar range for all three substrates, whereas the 13C enrichments in citrate and glutamine were markedly higher with both [U-13C]C8 and [U-13C]C10 compared with [U-13C]βHB. As citrate and glutamine are indicators of astrocytic metabolism, the results indicate active MCFA metabolism in astrocytes, while βHB is metabolized in a different cellular compartment. In competition experiments, 12C-βHB altered 13C incorporation from [U-13C]C8 and [U-13C]C10 in only a few instances, while 12C-C8 and 12C-C10 only further decreased the low [U-13C]βHB-derived 13C incorporation into citrate and glutamine, signifying little competition for oxidative metabolism between βHB and the MCFAs. Overall, the data demonstrate that βHB and MCFAs are supplementary fuels in different cellular compartments in the brain without notable competition. Thus, the use of medium-chain triglycerides in ketogenic diets is likely to be beneficial in conditions with carbon and energy shortages in both astrocytes and neurons, such as GLUT1 deficiency.

Keywords:  Astrocytes; Decanoic acid; Epilepsy; Ketone bodies; MCFA; Octanoic acid

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-022-03726-6
Immunometabolism (Cobham). 2022 Jul;4(3): e00001

Fatty acid translocase: a culprit of lipid metabolism dysfunction in disease.

Joseph E Rupert, Mikhail G Kolonin.

  Dysregulation of lipid deposition into and mobilization from white adipose tissue (WAT) underlies various diseases. Long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) and cholesterol trafficking in and out of adipocytes is a process relying on transporters shuttling lipids from the plasma membrane (PM) to lipid droplets (LD). CD36 is the fatty acid translocase (FAT) that transports LCFA and cholesterol across the PM. Interactions of CD36 with proteins PHB1, ANX2, and CAV1 mediate intercellular lipid transport between adipocytes, hematopoietic, epithelial, and endothelial cells. Intracellularly, the FAT complex has been found to regulate LCFA trafficking between the PM and LD. This process is regulated by CD36 glycosylation and S-acylation, as well as by post-translational modifications of PHB1 and ANX2, which determine both protein-protein interactions and the cellular localization of the complex. Changes in extracellular and intracellular LCFA levels have been found to induce the post-translational modifications and the function of the FAT complex in lipid uptake and mobilization. The role of the CD36/PHB1/ANX2 complex may span beyond lipid trafficking. The requirement of PHB1 for mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in brown adipocytes has been revealed. Cancer cells which take advantage of lipids mobilized by adipocytes and oxidized in leukocytes are indirectly affected by the function of FAT complex in other tissues. The direct importance of CD36 interaction with PHB1/and ANX2 in cancer cells remains to be established. This review highlights the multifaceted roles of the FAT complex in systemic lipid trafficking and discuss it as a potential target in metabolic disease and cancer.

Keywords:  fatty acid translocase; lipid metabolism

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1097/IN9.0000000000000001
J Biol Chem. 2022 Aug 18. pii: S0021-9258(22)00850-X. [Epub ahead of print] 102407

Histone deacetylase 10 liberates spermidine to support polyamine homeostasis and tumor cell growth.

Tracy Murray Stewart, Jackson R Foley, Cassandra E Holbert, Glynis Klinke, Gernot Poschet, Raphael R Steimbach, Aubry K Miller, Robert A Casero.

  Cytosolic histone deacetylase-10 (HDAC10) specifically deacetylates the modified polyamine N8-acetylspermidine (N8-AcSpd). Although intracellular concentrations of N8-AcSpd are low, extracellular sources can be abundant, particularly in the colonic lumen. Extracellular polyamines, including those from the diet and microbiota, can support tumor growth both locally and at distant sites. However, the contribution of N8-AcSpd in this context is unknown. We hypothesized that HDAC10, by converting N8- AcSpd to spermidine, may provide a source of this growth-supporting polyamine in circumstances of reduced polyamine biosynthesis, such as in polyamine-targeting anticancer therapies. Inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis, including α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), inhibit tumor growth, but compensatory uptake of extracellular polyamines has limited their clinical success. Combining DFMO with inhibitors of polyamine uptake have improved the antitumor response. However, acetylated polyamines may use different transport machinery than the parent molecules. Here, we use CRISPR/Cas9-mediated HDAC10-knockout cell lines and HDAC10-specific inhibitors to investigate the contribution of HDAC10 in maintaining tumor cell proliferation. We demonstrate inhibition of cell growth by DFMO-associated polyamine depletion is successfully rescued by exogenous N8-AcSpd (at physiological concentrations), which is converted to spermidine and spermine, only in cell lines with HDAC10 activity. Furthermore, we show loss of HDAC10 prevents both restoration of polyamine levels and growth rescue, implicating HDAC10 in supporting polyamine-associated tumor growth. These data suggest the utility of HDAC10-specific inhibitors as an antitumor strategy that may have value in improving the response to polyamine-blocking therapies. Additionally, the cell-based assay developed in this study provides an inexpensive, high-throughput method of screening potentially selective HDAC10 inhibitors.

Keywords:  N8-acetylspermidine; Polyamine; colorectal cancer; difluoromethylornithine (DFMO); histone deacetylase 10 (HDAC10); metabolism; microbiome; polyamine-blocking therapy; spermidine; tumor microenvironment (TME)

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102407
NMR Biomed. 2022 Aug 23. e4817

Recent Progress in Analysis of Intermediary Metabolism by ex vivo 13 C NMR.

Craig R Malloy, A Dean Sherry, Jeffry R Alger, Eunsook S Jin.

  Advanced imaging technologies, large-scale metabolomics and the measurement of gene transcripts or enzyme expression all enable investigations of intermediary metabolism in human patients. Complementary information about fluxes in individual metabolic pathways may be obtained by ex vivo 13 C NMR of blood or tissue biopsies. Simple molecules such as 13 C-labeled glucose are readily administered to patients prior to surgical biopsies, and 13 C-labeled glycerol is easily administered orally to outpatients. Here we review recent progress in practical applications of 13 C NMR to study cancer biology, the response to oxidative stress, gluconeogenesis, triglyceride synthesis in patients, as well as new insights into compartmentation of metabolism in the cytosol. The technical aspects of obtaining the sample, preparing material for analysis, and acquiring the spectra are relatively simple. This approach enables convenient, valuable and quantitative insights into intermediary metabolism in patients.

Keywords:  13C; NMR; cancer; glucose; glycerol; metabolic syndrome; stable isotope

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/nbm.4817