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Quantifying Metabolic Transfer Mediated by Extracellular Vesicles Using Exo-MFA: An Integrated Empirical and
Abhinav Achreja1,2, Noah Meurs1,2, Deepak Nagrath3,4,5
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|January 2, 2020
Summary
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanoscale particles that transfer metabolites between cells. A new computational platform quantifies the metabolic contribution of these EVs to recipient cells.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Metabolomics
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanoscale particles released by cells, carrying diverse biomolecules including metabolites.
- EVs can transfer these molecules to recipient cells, influencing their function and metabolism.
- In the tumor microenvironment, EVs may supplement recipient cell metabolic demands.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an integrated empirical and computational platform for quantifying the metabolic contribution of source cell-derived EVs to recipient cells.
- To introduce the Exo-MFA software tool for this purpose.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 13C stable-isotope tracing data.
- Developed an EV-depleted culture medium.
- Produced and isolated isotope-labeled EVs from source cells.
- Cultured recipient cells with labeled EVs and measured metabolite levels over time.
Main Results:
- Quantified the metabolic contributions of EVs from source cells to recipient cells.
- Demonstrated the utility of the Exo-MFA software tool in analyzing EV metabolic transfer.
Conclusions:
- The developed platform and Exo-MFA software enable precise quantification of EV-mediated metabolic exchange.
- This approach provides insights into intercellular metabolic communication, particularly in conditions like the tumor microenvironment.
Keywords:
13-Carbon metabolic flux analysisExo-MFAExosomesExtracellular vesiclesMulticellular metabolic flux analysisStable-isotope tracing
