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Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy to Study Glycolytic Metabolism During Autophagy
Y-L Chung1, M O Leach1, T R Eykyn2
1Cancer Research UK Cancer Imaging Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom.
Methods in Enzymology
|February 27, 2017
Summary
Autophagic cancer cells show altered glycolysis, with lower lactate levels and exchange rates. This study details using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to measure these metabolic changes in cancer cells during autophagy.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Autophagy is a cellular process involved in nutrient recycling, often activated in cancer cells under stress.
- Metabolic reprogramming, particularly altered glycolysis, is a hallmark of cancer.
- Understanding metabolic shifts during autophagy is crucial for cancer therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail the application of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for quantifying metabolic changes in autophagic cancer cells.
- To describe methods for measuring lactate, glucose, and pyruvate-lactate exchange rates in cells undergoing autophagy.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) to measure intracellular lactate and glucose concentrations.
- Employing ¹H-MRS to assess steady-state lactate excretion and glucose uptake rates.
- Applying carbon-13 magnetic resonance spectroscopy with dynamic nuclear polarization (¹³C-MRS-DNP) for real-time pyruvate-lactate exchange measurements.
Main Results:
- Autophagic cancer cells exhibited reduced intracellular lactate levels.
- Rates of steady-state lactate excretion were decreased in autophagic cells.
- Real-time pyruvate-lactate exchange rates were significantly reduced in cells undergoing autophagy.
Conclusions:
- Autophagy induction alters glycolytic metabolism in cancer cells.
- ¹H-MRS and ¹³C-MRS-DNP are effective tools for characterizing metabolic alterations during cancer cell autophagy.
- These findings provide insights into the metabolic vulnerabilities of autophagic cancer cells.
