Simultaneous measurement of 13C- and 15N-isotopic enrichments of threonine by mass spectrometry

Analysis of carbon and nitrogen co-metabolism in yeast by ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry applying 13C- and 15N-labeled substrates simultaneously

Alternative metabolic pathways inside a cell can be deduced using stable isotopically labeled substrates. One prerequisite is accurate measurement of the labeling pattern of targeted metabolites. Experiments are generally limited to the use of single-element isotopes, mainly (13)C. Here, we demonstrate the application of direct infusion nanospray, ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance-mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) for metabolic studies using differently labeled elemental isotopes simultaneously--i.e., (13)C and (15)N--in amino acids of a total protein hydrolysate. The optimized strategy for the analysis of metabolism by a hybrid linear ion trap-FTICR-MS comprises the collection of multiple adjacent selected ion monitoring scans. By limiting both the width of the mass range and the number of ions entering the ICR cell with automated gain control, sensitive measurements of isotopologue distribution were possible without compromising mass accuracy and isotope intensity mapping. The required mass-resolving power of more than 60,000 is only achievable on a routine basis by FTICR and Orbitrap mass spectrometers. Evaluation of the method was carried out by comparison of the experimental data to the natural isotope abundances of selected amino acids and by comparison to GC/MS results obtained from a labeling experiment with (13)C-labeled glucose. The developed method was used to shed light on the complexity of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae carbon-nitrogen co-metabolism by administering both (13)C-labeled glucose and (15)N-labeled alanine. The results indicate that not only glutamate but also alanine acts as an amino donor during alanine and valine synthesis. Metabolic studies using FTICR-MS can exploit new possibilities by the use of multiple-labeled elemental isotopes.

High-precision mass spectrometric analysis using stable isotopes in studies of children

The use of stable isotopes combined with mass spectrometry (MS) provides insight into metabolic processes within the body. Herein, an overview on the relevance of stable isotope methodology in pediatric research is presented. Applications for the use of stable isotopes with MS cover carbohydrate, fat, and amino acid metabolism as well as body composition, energy expenditure, and the synthesis of specific peptides and proteins, such as glutathione and albumin. The main focus of these studies is on the interactions between nutrients and the endogenous metabolism within the body and how these factors affect the health of a growing infant. Considering that the early imprinting of metabolic processes hugely impacts metabolism (and thus functional outcome) later in life, research in this area is important and is advancing rapidly. The major fluxes on a metabolic level are the synthesis and breakdown rates. They can be quantified using kinetic tracer analysis and mathematical modeling. Organic MS and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) are the two most mature techniques for the isotopic analysis of compounds. Introduction of the samples is usually done by coupling gas chromatography (GC) to either IRMS or MS because it is the most robust technique for specific isotopic analysis of volatile compounds. In addition, liquid chromatography (LC) is now being used more often as a tool for sample introduction of both volatile and non-volatile compounds into IRMS or MS for (13)C isotopic analyses at natural abundances and for (13)C-labeled enriched compounds. The availability of samples is often limited in pediatric patients. Therefore, sample size restriction is important when developing new methods. Also, the availability of stable isotope-labeled substrates is necessary for measurements of the kinetics and concentrations in metabolic studies, which can be a limiting factor. During the last decade, the availability of these substrates has increased. Furthermore, improvements in the accuracy, precision, and sensitivity of existing techniques (such as GC/IRMS) and the development of new techniques (such as LC/IRMS) have opened up new avenues for tackling these limitations.

Comparison of high-temperature conversion and equilibration methods for the determination of d31-palmitic acid oxidation in man using continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry

During nutritional interventions, the ingestion of d(31)-palmitic acid and H(2)(18)O allows the assessment of dietary fatty acid oxidation from cumulative (2)H recovery in urine and the estimation of the total body water pool (TBW) from (18)O dilution. Continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry (CF-IRMS) coupled to either equilibration or high-temperature conversion (HTC) techniques permits (2)H- and (18)O-enrichment measurements in biological fluids. Thus it was of great interest to compare these methods applied to the determination of dietary fatty acid oxidation. The linearity, accuracy and correlation between CF-equilibration and CF-HTC were first checked using (2)H- and (18)O-enriched water and urine samples. Urine samples from 14 subjects were then measured with both methods. The (2)H and (18)O raw data were normalised against calibration lines. The final aim was to study the impact of the normalised raw results on physiological data (i.e. TBW and d(31)-palmitate recovery). No significant difference was observed between the (18)O- and (2)H-enrichment measurements depending on the analytical method used. The TBW volumes calculated from the (18)O enrichments measured either with CF-equilibration or CF-HTC were not significantly different: respectively, 45.1 ± 1.0 L or 45.7 ± 1.0 L (mean ± sem, p = 0.09). The palmitic acid oxidation results obtained from the (2)H-enrichment measurements and the TBW from CF-equilibration vs. CF-HTC were not significantly different (p ≥ 0.26): with δ(2)H values of, respectively, 16.2 ± 1.6% vs. 16.2 ± 1.1% at 8 h, 18.7 ± 2.0% vs. 17.6 ± 1.3% at 12 h and 21.7 ± 1.9% vs. 21.5 ± 1.3% at 3 days post-dose (mean ± sem). Thus, even if CF-HTC was preferred because it was more practical to carry out, both methods allow the study of dietary lipid oxidation in man and generate similar results.

Determination of the natural abundance δ15N of taurine by gas chromatography-isotope ratio measurement mass spectrometry

The measurement of the nitrogen isotope ratio of taurine (2-aminoethanesulphonic acid) in biological samples has a large number of potential applications. Taurine is a small water-soluble molecule which is notoriously difficult to analyze due to its polarity and functionality. A method is described which allows the determination of the natural abundance δ(15)N values of taurine and structural analogues, such as 3-amino-1-propanesulphonic acid (APSA), by isotope ratio mass spectrometry interfaced to gas chromatography (GC-irm-MS). The one-step protocol exploits the simultaneous derivatization of both functionalities of these aminosulphonic acids by reaction with triethylorthoacetate (TEOA). Conditions have been established which ensure quantitative reaction thus avoiding any nitrogen isotope fractionation during derivatization and workup. The differences in the δ(15)N values of derivatized and non-derivatized taurine and APSA all fall within the working range of 0.4‰ (-0.02 to 0.39‰). When applied to four sources of taurine with various δ(15)N values, the method achieved excellent reproducibility and accuracy. The optimized method enables the determination of the natural abundance δ(15)N values of taurine over the concentration range 1.5-7.84 µmol.mL(-1) in samples of biological origin.