Adrenal Hormone Interactions and Metabolism: A Single Sample Multi-Omics Approach

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Adrenal gland research is vital for understanding physiological and pathophysiological processes.
• Limited sample availability restricts comprehensive analyses of adrenal tissues.
• Existing methods struggle to analyze multiple classes of metabolites and macromolecules from a single sample.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an improved sample preparation procedure for adrenal tissues enabling multi-omics analyses.
• To facilitate the simultaneous investigation of metabolites, hormones, enzyme activities, and proteins.
• To overcome limitations of sample material availability and tissue heterogeneity in adrenal studies.

Main Methods:

• A novel preparation procedure was established for chromaffin cells, mouse adrenals, and human chromaffin tumors.
• Samples were analyzed using liquid-chromatography with mass spectrometry or electrochemical detection.
• The new procedure was compared against conventional methods for metabolite and catecholamine content.

Main Results:

• The new procedure yielded similar or higher metabolite contents compared to conventional methods.
• Catecholamine levels remained comparable between the new and conventional procedures.
• A methanol-based preparation detected 1.3-fold more metabolites in an untargeted metabolomics approach, and the new method allows simultaneous multi-omics analysis.

Conclusions:

• The developed procedure enables multi-omics analyses from limited adrenal sample material, preserving native proteins.
• This method enhances the understanding of adrenal function and intra-adrenal interactions by providing a more complete molecular picture.
• The approach minimizes sample requirements and addresses tissue heterogeneity challenges in adrenal research.