Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 11, 2025

Evaluation of Amino Acid Consumption in Cultured Bone Cells and Isolated Bone Shafts
06:32

Evaluation of Amino Acid Consumption in Cultured Bone Cells and Isolated Bone Shafts

Published on: April 13, 2022

1.9K

The amino acid metabolism is essential for evading physical plasma-induced tumour cell death

Rajesh Kumar Gandhirajan1, Dorothee Meyer2, Sanjeev Kumar Sagwal2

  • 1ZIK plasmatis, Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), Greifswald, Germany. rajesh.gandhirajan@inp-greifswald.de.

British Journal of Cancer
|March 26, 2021
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Cancer cells utilize amino acids during cold physical plasma treatment, influencing cell death. Targeting amino acid influx could enhance anti-cancer therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Biochemistry
  • Plasma Medicine

Background:

  • Amino acids play a crucial role in cancer metabolism.
  • Cold physical plasma generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) to target tumor cells.
  • The impact of metabolic reprogramming on plasma-induced cancer cell death is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the utilization and impact of major metabolic substrates (fatty acid, amino acid, TCA pathways) in tumor cells after plasma exposure.
  • To understand the role of metabolic reprogramming in modulating cancer cell death induced by cold physical plasma.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and immunoblotting to analyze gene and protein expression.
  • Assessed cell death using cell death analysis assays.
  • Investigated metabolic substrate utilization in various tumor cell lines (Panc-1, HeLa, OVCAR3, SK-MEL-28).

Main Results:

  • Metabolic substrates were utilized by Panc-1 and HeLa cells but not OVCAR3 and SK-MEL-28 cells post-plasma treatment.
  • ASCT2 and SLC3A2 genes were upregulated in multiple cell lines (Panc-1, Miapaca2GR, HeLa, MeWo) after plasma exposure.
  • Knockdown of ASCT2, glutamine depletion, or V9302 inhibition sensitized HeLa cells to plasma-induced death; glutamine, valine, or tyrosine supplementation improved cell metabolism and viability.

Conclusions:

  • Amino acid influx drives metabolic reprogramming in tumor cells treated with physical plasma, affecting cell death extent.
  • Targeting amino acid metabolism pathways in combination with physical plasma could be a potential anti-cancer strategy.

More Related Videos

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants07:38

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants

Published on: June 6, 2025

428
Extraction of Non-Protein Amino Acids from Cyanobacteria for Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Analysis08:14

Extraction of Non-Protein Amino Acids from Cyanobacteria for Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Published on: December 9, 2022

4.0K

Related Concept Videos

Amino Acid Biosynthetic Pathways01:29

Amino Acid Biosynthetic Pathways

Amino acid biosynthesis is essential for cell growth, protein synthesis, and metabolic regulation. Cells generate essential and non-essential amino acids from metabolic intermediates to sustain vital biological functions. These intermediates originate from key metabolic pathways: glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Important precursors include α-ketoglutarate, pyruvate, oxaloacetate, phosphoenolpyruvate, and erythrose-4-phosphate, which...
445
Overview of Protein Metabolism01:21

Overview of Protein Metabolism

Proteins are broken down into amino acids during digestion. Unlike fats and carbohydrates, which are stored for later use, proteins are not. Instead, amino acids are either used to produce ATP through oxidation or contribute to the creation of new proteins for the growth and repair of the body. Any surplus amino acids from the diet are converted into glucose or triglycerides rather than excreted.
Amino acids play various roles in the body once they are absorbed into cells. They are restructured...
2.7K
The Proteasome01:13

The Proteasome

Eukaryotic cells can degrade proteins through several pathways. One of the most important among these is the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. It helps the cell eliminate the misfolded, damaged, or unwarranted cytoplasmic proteins in a highly specific manner.
In this pathway, the target proteins are first tagged with small proteins called ubiquitin. This involves participation of a series of enzymes including— E1 (ubiquitin-activating enzyme), E2 (ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme), and E3...
1.3K
The Proteasome02:18

The Proteasome

Eukaryotic cells can degrade proteins through several pathways. One of the most important amongst these is the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. It helps the cell eliminate the misfolded, damaged, or unwarranted cytoplasmic proteins in a highly specific manner.
In this pathway, the target proteins are first tagged with small proteins called ubiquitin. A series of enzymes carry out the ubiquitination of the target proteins - E1 (ubiquitin-activating enzyme), E2 (ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme), and E3...
9.4K
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
4.0K
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells02:53

Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells

Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
6.1K