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Updated: Dec 28, 2025
In Vitro and In Vivo Models to Study Corneal Endothelial-mesenchymal Transition
Published on: August 20, 2016
Metabolites Interrogation in Cell Fate Decision of Cultured Human Corneal Endothelial Cells
Junji Hamuro1, Kohsaku Numa1, Tomoko Fujita1
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Purpose:
Aiming to clarify the metabolic interrogation in cell fate decision of cultured human corneal endothelial cells (cHCECs).
Methods:
To analyze the metabolites in the culture supernatants (CS), 34 metabolome measurements were carried out for mature differentiated and a variety of cHCECs with cell state transition through a facility service. Integrated proteomics research for cell lysates by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was performed for 3 aliquots of each high-quality or low-quality cHCEC subpopulations (SP). The investigations for the focused genes involved in cHCEC metabolism were performed by using DAVID and its options "KEGG_PATHWAY."
Results:
The clusters of metabolites coincided well with the distinct content of CD44-/+ SPs. Both secreted pyruvic acid and lactic acid in the CS were negatively correlated with the content of high-quality SPs. Lactic acid and pyruvic acid in the CS exhibited the positive correlation with that of Ile, Leu, and Ser, whereas the negative correlation was with glutamine. Platelet-derived growth factor-ββ in the CS negatively correlated with lactic acid in CS, indicating indirectly the positive correlation with the content of CD44-/+ SPs. Upregulated glycolytic enzymes and influx of glutamine to the tricarboxylic acid cycle may be linked with a metabolic rewiring converting oxidative metabolism in mature differentiated CD44-/+SPs into a glycolytic flux-dependent state in immature SPs with cell state transition.
Conclusions:
The findings suggest that the cell fate decision of cHCECs may be dictated at least partly through metabolic rewiring.
