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Xinmin Yin
  • Department of Chemistry, Center for Regulatory and Environmental Analytical Metabolomics, University of Louisville, Louisville, USA
Stable 13C-glutamine Tracing Resolved Metabolomics for Cancer Metabolism Study
稳定同位素¹³C-谷氨酰胺示踪代谢组学在癌症代谢研究中的应用
作者:Yaogang Zhong, Liqing He, Xinmin Yin, Logan Mazik, Xiang Zhang and Deliang Guo日期:05/20/2025,浏览量:810,Q&A: 0

Stable isotopes have frequently been used to study metabolic processes in live cells both in vitro and in vivo. Glutamine, the most abundant amino acid in human blood, plays multiple roles in cellular metabolism by contributing to the production of nucleotides, lipids, glutathione, and other amino acids. It also supports energy production via anaplerosis of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. While 13C-glutamine has been extensively employed to study glutamine metabolism in various cell types, detailed analyses of specific lipids derived from 13C-glutamine via the reductive carboxylation pathway are limited. In this protocol, we present a detailed procedure to investigate glutamine metabolism in human glioblastoma (GBM) cells by conducting 13C-glutamine tracing coupled with untargeted metabolomics analysis using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). The method includes step-by-step instructions for the extraction and detection of polar metabolites and long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) derived from 13C-glutamine in GBM cells. Notably, this approach enables the distinction between isomers of two monounsaturated FAs with identical masses: palmitoleic acid (16:1n-7) (cis-9-hexadecenoic acid) and palmitelaidic acid (16:1n-7) (trans-9-hexadecenoic acid) derived from 13C-glutamine through the reductive carboxylation process. In addition, using this protocol, we also unveil previously unknown metabolic alterations in GBM cells following lysosome inhibition by the antipsychotic drug pimozide.