Measurement of amino acid metabolism derived from [1-13C]glucose in the rat brain using 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Plasma amino acids indicate glioblastoma with ATRX loss

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common primary brain tumour in adults. The lack of molecular biomarker, non-specific symptoms and fast growth rate often result in a significant delay in diagnosis. Despite multimodal treatment, the prognosis remains poor. Here, we verified the hypothesis that amino acids (AA) regulating the critical metabolic pathways necessary for maintenance, growth, reproduction, and immunity of an organism, may constitute a favourable target in GB biomarker research. We measured the plasma amino acids levels in 18 GB patients and 15 controls and performed the quantitative and qualitative metabolomic analysis of free AA applying high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). We present both the raw data and the results of our statistical analysis. The majority of AA were lowered in the study group in comparison to the control group. Five of these (arginine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, and histidine) differed significantly (all p < 10^-5 and AUC > 0.9). Plasma levels of leucine and phenylalanine decreased in the case of GB with lost alpha-thalassemia/mental retardation X-linked (ATRX) expression on immunohistochemistry (p = 0.003 and 0.045, respectively). We demonstrated for the first time that certain plasma-free AA levels of GB patients were significantly different from those in healthy volunteers. Target profiling of plasma-free AA, identified utilizing LC-QTOF-MS, may present prognostic value by indicating GB patients with lost ATRX expression. The on-going quest for glioma biomarkers still aims to determine the detailed metabolic profile and evaluate its impact on therapy and prognosis.

Neuron-astrocyte interactions, pyruvate carboxylation and the pentose phosphate pathway in the neonatal rat brain

Glucose and acetate metabolism and the synthesis of amino acid neurotransmitters, anaplerosis, glutamate-glutamine cycling and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) have been extensively investigated in the adult, but not the neonatal rat brain. To do this, 7 day postnatal (P7) rats were injected with [1-(13)C]glucose and [1,2-(13)C]acetate and sacrificed 5, 10, 15, 30 and 45 min later. Adult rats were injected and sacrificed after 15 min. To analyse pyruvate carboxylation and PPP activity during development, P7 rats received [1,2-(13)C]glucose and were sacrificed 30 min later. Brain extracts were analysed using (1)H- and (13)C-NMR spectroscopy. Numerous differences in metabolism were found between the neonatal and adult brain. The neonatal brain contained lower levels of glutamate, aspartate and N-acetylaspartate but similar levels of GABA and glutamine per mg tissue. Metabolism of [1-(13)C]glucose at the acetyl CoA stage was reduced much more than that of [1,2-(13)C]acetate. The transfer of glutamate from neurons to astrocytes was much lower while transfer of glutamine from astrocytes to glutamatergic neurons was relatively higher. However, transport of glutamine from astrocytes to GABAergic neurons was lower. Using [1,2-(13)C]glucose it could be shown that despite much lower pyruvate carboxylation, relatively more pyruvate from glycolysis was directed towards anaplerosis than pyruvate dehydrogenation in astrocytes. Moreover, the ratio of PPP/glucose-metabolism was higher. These findings indicate that only the part of the glutamate-glutamine cycle that transfers glutamine from astrocytes to neurons is operating in the neonatal brain and that compared to adults, relatively more glucose is prioritised to PPP and pyruvate carboxylation. Our results may have implications for the capacity to protect the neonatal brain against excitotoxicity and oxidative stress.

A new method to estimate the relative bioavailability of individual amino acids in fish larvae using 13C-NMR spectroscopy

In comparison to mammals, fish, and in particular young stages, are thought to have higher amino acid (AA) requirements. Still, little is known about AA requirements of fish larvae, largely due to difficulties in applying traditional methodologies to these fast growing small animals. This study presents a new method to study the qualitative AA requirements of fish larvae. This method combines the use of 13C-labelled live food and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. It allows the simultaneous estimation of the relative bioavailability of several individual AAs. The present study shows that the relative bioavailabilies of various AAs do differ between AAs in larval seabream (Sparus aurata). Threonine has a low relative bioavailability, while aspartate, glutamate and lysine had high relative bioavailabilies compared to other AAs. These results are here attributed to differences in absorption rates by the gut, and/or selective catabolism. The results from the present study suggest that when rotifers are used as the diet for larval seabream, they should be enriched with products rich in threonine and leucine. Information on the relative bioavailability of individual AAs together with the AA profile of the larval protein should allow defining the ideal dietary AA profile for a given species.

Effects of ammonia on the anaplerotic pathway and amino acid metabolism in the brain: an ex vivo 13C NMR spectroscopic study of rats after administering [2-13C]] glucose with or without ammonium acetate

The 13C-label incorporation into glutamate, glutamine, aspartate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) from [2-13C] glucose was measured by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to directly examine the effects of ammonia on the activity of pyruvate carboxylase (i.e., the anaplerotic pathway) and the amino acid metabolism in the rat brain in vivo. Rats were sacrificed by exposure to microwaves at 7.5, 15, 30, and 60 min after an i.v. injection of [2-13C] glucose with or without ammonium acetate. After the injection of ammonium acetate, the brain contents of glutamate, aspartate and GABA had decreased, however, the percentage of 13C enrichment of C3 of glutamine, glutamate and GABA, and C2 and C3 of aspartate had increased. The 13C entered the TCA cycle via pyruvate carboxylase from [2-13C] glucose, labeling the C2 or C3 positions of aspartate, the C2 or C3 positions of glutamate and glutamine, and the C3 or C4 positions of GABA first and second turns of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The C4/C3 labeling ratio in GABA was lower than the analogous ratio in glutamate (C2/C3) and higher than that of glutamine (C2/C3). The order of these ratios (glutamate > GABA > glutamine) was not altered by the injection of ammonium acetate. These findings directly indicate that ammonia increases the anaplerotic pathway and that the 13C-skeletons entered glial glutamine through the anaplerotic pathway flow from glia to neuron. A fraction of the glutamine is used in the direct synthesis of GABA via glutamate, whereas the remaining fraction of glutamine passed through the neuronal TCA cycle before synthesizing GABA.