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Vera-Siguenza E, Escribano-Gonzalez C, Serrano-Gonzalo I, Eskla KL, Spill F, Tennant D. Mathematical reconstruction of the metabolic network in an in-vitro multiple myeloma model. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011374. [PMID: 37713666 PMCID: PMC10503963 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023] Open
Abstract
It is increasingly apparent that cancer cells, in addition to remodelling their metabolism to survive and proliferate, adapt and manipulate the metabolism of other cells. This property may be a telling sign that pre-clinical tumour metabolism studies exclusively utilising in-vitro mono-culture models could prove to be limited for uncovering novel metabolic targets able to translate into clinical therapies. Although this is increasingly recognised, and work towards addressing the issue is becoming routinary much remains poorly understood. For instance, knowledge regarding the biochemical mechanisms through which cancer cells manipulate non-cancerous cell metabolism, and the subsequent impact on their survival and proliferation remains limited. Additionally, the variations in these processes across different cancer types and progression stages, and their implications for therapy, also remain largely unexplored. This study employs an interdisciplinary approach that leverages the predictive power of mathematical modelling to enrich experimental findings. We develop a functional multicellular in-silico model that facilitates the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the metabolic network spawned by an in-vitro co-culture model of bone marrow mesenchymal stem- and myeloma cell lines. To procure this model, we devised a bespoke human genome constraint-based reconstruction workflow that combines aspects from the legacy mCADRE & Metabotools algorithms, the novel redHuman algorithm, along with 13C-metabolic flux analysis. Our workflow transforms the latest human metabolic network matrix (Recon3D) into two cell-specific models coupled with a metabolic network spanning a shared growth medium. When cross-validating our in-silico model against the in-vitro model, we found that the in-silico model successfully reproduces vital metabolic behaviours of its in-vitro counterpart; results include cell growth predictions, respiration rates, as well as support for observations which suggest cross-shuttling of redox-active metabolites between cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias Vera-Siguenza
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Watson School of Mathematics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Cristina Escribano-Gonzalez
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Irene Serrano-Gonzalo
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón, Fundación Española para el Estudio y Terapéutica de la enfermedad de Gaucher y otras Lisosomales, Zaragoza, España
| | - Kattri-Liis Eskla
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Fabian Spill
- Watson School of Mathematics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Tennant
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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2
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Grausa K, Siddiqui SA, Lameyer N, Wiesotzki K, Smetana S, Pentjuss A. Metabolic Modeling of Hermetia illucens Larvae Resource Allocation for High-Value Fatty Acid Production. Metabolites 2023; 13:724. [PMID: 37367882 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13060724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
All plant and animal kingdom organisms use highly connected biochemical networks to facilitate sustaining, proliferation, and growth functions. While the biochemical network details are well known, the understanding of the intense regulation principles is still limited. We chose to investigate the Hermetia illucens fly at the larval stage because this stage is a crucial period for the successful accumulation and allocation of resources for the subsequent organism's developmental stages. We combined iterative wet lab experiments and innovative metabolic modeling design approaches to simulate and explain the H. illucens larval stage resource allocation processes and biotechnology potential. We performed time-based growth and high-value chemical compound accumulation wet lab chemical analysis experiments on larvae and the Gainesville diet composition. We built and validated the first H. illucens medium-size, stoichiometric metabolic model to predict the effects of diet-based alterations on fatty acid allocation potential. Using optimization methods such as flux balance and flux variability analysis on the novel insect metabolic model, we predicted that doubled essential amino acid consumption increased the growth rate by 32%, but pure glucose consumption had no positive impact on growth. In the case of doubled pure valine consumption, the model predicted a 2% higher growth rate. In this study, we describe a new framework for researching the impact of dietary alterations on the metabolism of multi-cellular organisms at different developmental stages for improved, sustainable, and directed high-value chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Grausa
- Department of Computer Systems, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, LV-3001 Jelgava, Latvia
- Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia
| | - Shahida A Siddiqui
- Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, Essigberg 3, D-94315 Straubing, Germany
- German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL e.V.), 49610 Quakenbrück, Germany
| | - Norbert Lameyer
- German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL e.V.), 49610 Quakenbrück, Germany
| | - Karin Wiesotzki
- German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL e.V.), 49610 Quakenbrück, Germany
| | - Sergiy Smetana
- German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL e.V.), 49610 Quakenbrück, Germany
| | - Agris Pentjuss
- Department of Computer Systems, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, LV-3001 Jelgava, Latvia
- Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia
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3
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Liu YY. Controlling the human microbiome. Cell Syst 2023; 14:135-159. [PMID: 36796332 PMCID: PMC9942095 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2022.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
We coexist with a vast number of microbes that live in and on our bodies. Those microbes and their genes are collectively known as the human microbiome, which plays important roles in human physiology and diseases. We have acquired extensive knowledge of the organismal compositions and metabolic functions of the human microbiome. However, the ultimate proof of our understanding of the human microbiome is reflected in our ability to manipulate it for health benefits. To facilitate the rational design of microbiome-based therapies, there are many fundamental questions to be addressed at the systems level. Indeed, we need a deep understanding of the ecological dynamics associated with such a complex ecosystem before we rationally design control strategies. In light of this, this review discusses progress from various fields, e.g., community ecology, network science, and control theory, that are helping us make progress toward the ultimate goal of controlling the human microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang-Yu Liu
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Center for Artificial Intelligence and Modeling, The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61801, USA.
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4
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Identifying metabolic shifts in Crohn's disease using' omics-driven contextualized computational metabolic network models. Sci Rep 2023; 13:203. [PMID: 36604447 PMCID: PMC9814625 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26816-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. A clear gap in our existing CD diagnostics and current disease management approaches is the lack of highly specific biomarkers that can be used to streamline or personalize disease management. Comprehensive profiling of metabolites holds promise; however, these high-dimensional profiles need to be reduced to have relevance in the context of CD. Machine learning approaches are optimally suited to bridge this gap in knowledge by contextualizing the metabolic alterations in CD using genome-scale metabolic network reconstructions. Our work presents a framework for studying altered metabolic reactions between patients with CD and controls using publicly available transcriptomic data and existing gene-driven metabolic network reconstructions. Additionally, we apply the same methods to patient-derived ileal enteroids to explore the utility of using this experimental in vitro platform for studying CD. Furthermore, we have piloted an untargeted metabolomics approach as a proof-of-concept validation strategy in human ileal mucosal tissue. These findings suggest that in silico metabolic modeling can potentially identify pathways of clinical relevance in CD, paving the way for the future discovery of novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Wang J, Wang S, Zhao S, Sun P, Zhang Z, Xu Q. Productivity enhancement in L-lysine fermentation using oxygen-enhanced bioreactor and oxygen vector. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1181963. [PMID: 37200843 PMCID: PMC10187759 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1181963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: L-lysine is a bulk product. In industrial production using high-biomass fermentation, the high density of bacteria and the intensity of production require sufficient cellular respiratory metabolism for support. Conventional bioreactors often have difficulty meeting the oxygen supply conditions for this fermentation process, which is not conducive to improving the sugar-amino acid conversion rate. In this study, we designed and developed an oxygen-enhanced bioreactor to address this problem. Methods: This bioreactor optimizes the aeration mix using an internal liquid flow guide and multiple propellers. Results: Compared with a conventional bioreactor, it improved the kLa from 367.57 to 875.64 h-1, an increase of 238.22%. The results show that the oxygen supply capacity of the oxygen-enhanced bioreactor is better than that of the conventional bioreactor. Its oxygenating effect increased the dissolved oxygen in the middle and late stages of fermentation by an average of 20%. The increased viability of Corynebacterium glutamicum LS260 in the mid to late stages of growth resulted in a yield of 185.3 g/L of L-lysine, 74.57% conversion of lysine from glucose, and productivity of 2.57 g/L/h, an increase of 11.0%, 6.01%, and 8.2%, respectively, over a conventional bioreactor. Oxygen vectors can further improve the production performance of lysine strains by increasing the oxygen uptake capacity of microorganisms. We compared the effects of different oxygen vectors on the production of L-lysine from LS260 fermentation and concluded that n-dodecane was the most suitable. Bacterial growth was smoother under these conditions, with a 2.78% increase in bacterial volume, a 6.53% increase in lysine production, and a 5.83% increase in conversion. The different addition times of the oxygen vectors also affected the final yield and conversion, with the addition of oxygen vectors at 0 h, 8 h, 16 h, and 24 h of fermentation increasing the yield by 6.31%, 12.44%, 9.93%, and 7.39%, respectively, compared to fermentation without the addition of oxygen vectors. The conversion rates increased by 5.83%, 8.73%, 7.13%, and 6.13%, respectively. The best results were achieved by adding oxygen vehicles at the 8th hour of fermentation, with a lysine yield of 208.36 g/L and a conversion rate of 83.3%. In addition, n-dodecane significantly reduced the amount of foam produced during fermentation, which is beneficial for fermentation control and equipment. Conclusion: The new oxygen-enhanced bioreactor improves oxygen transfer efficiency, and oxygen vectors enhance the ability of cells to take up oxygen, which effectively solves the problem of insufficient oxygen supply during lysine fermentation. This study provides a new bioreactor and production solution for lysine fermentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinduo Wang
- National and Local United Engineering Lab of Metabolic Control Fermentation Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Shuo Wang
- National and Local United Engineering Lab of Metabolic Control Fermentation Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Siyu Zhao
- National and Local United Engineering Lab of Metabolic Control Fermentation Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Pengjie Sun
- National and Local United Engineering Lab of Metabolic Control Fermentation Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- National and Local United Engineering Lab of Metabolic Control Fermentation Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Qingyang Xu
- National and Local United Engineering Lab of Metabolic Control Fermentation Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
- *Correspondence: Qingyang Xu,
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Lázaro J, Jansen G, Yang Y, Torres-Acosta MA, Lye G, Oliver SG, Júlvez J. Combination of Genome-Scale Models and Bioreactor Dynamics to Optimize the Production of Commodity Chemicals. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:855735. [PMID: 35573743 PMCID: PMC9091370 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.855735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The current production of a number of commodity chemicals relies on the exploitation of fossil fuels and hence has an irreversible impact on the environment. Biotechnological processes offer an attractive alternative by enabling the manufacturing of chemicals by genetically modified microorganisms. However, this alternative approach poses some important technical challenges that must be tackled to make it competitive. On the one hand, the design of biotechnological processes is based on trial-and-error approaches, which are not only costly in terms of time and money, but also result in suboptimal designs. On the other hand, the manufacturing of chemicals by biological processes is almost exclusively carried out by batch or fed-batch cultures. Given that batch cultures are expensive and not easy to scale, technical means must be developed to make continuous cultures feasible and efficient. In order to address these challenges, we have developed a mathematical model able to integrate in a single model both the genome-scale metabolic model for the organism synthesizing the chemical of interest and the dynamics of the bioreactor in which the organism is cultured. Such a model is based on the use of Flexible Nets, a modeling formalism for dynamical systems. The integration of a microscopic (organism) and a macroscopic (bioreactor) model in a single net provides an overall view of the whole system and opens the door to global optimizations. As a case study, the production of citramalate with respect to the substrate consumed by E. coli is modeled, simulated and optimized in order to find the maximum productivity in a steady-state continuous culture. The predicted computational results were consistent with the wet lab experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Lázaro
- Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Giorgio Jansen
- Cambridge Systems Biology Centre and Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Yiheng Yang
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mario A. Torres-Acosta
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gary Lye
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen G. Oliver
- Cambridge Systems Biology Centre and Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jorge Júlvez
- Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
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7
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Frades I, Foguet C, Cascante M, Araúzo-Bravo MJ. Genome Scale Modeling to Study the Metabolic Competition between Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:4609. [PMID: 34572839 PMCID: PMC8470216 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13184609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The tumor's physiology emerges from the dynamic interplay of numerous cell types, such as cancer cells, immune cells and stromal cells, within the tumor microenvironment. Immune and cancer cells compete for nutrients within the tumor microenvironment, leading to a metabolic battle between these cell populations. Tumor cells can reprogram their metabolism to meet the high demand of building blocks and ATP for proliferation, and to gain an advantage over the action of immune cells. The study of the metabolic reprogramming mechanisms underlying cancer requires the quantification of metabolic fluxes which can be estimated at the genome-scale with constraint-based or kinetic modeling. Constraint-based models use a set of linear constraints to simulate steady-state metabolic fluxes, whereas kinetic models can simulate both the transient behavior and steady-state values of cellular fluxes and concentrations. The integration of cell- or tissue-specific data enables the construction of context-specific models that reflect cell-type- or tissue-specific metabolic properties. While the available modeling frameworks enable limited modeling of the metabolic crosstalk between tumor and immune cells in the tumor stroma, future developments will likely involve new hybrid kinetic/stoichiometric formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itziar Frades
- Computational Biology and Systems Biomedicine Group, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, 20009 San Sebastian, Spain;
| | - Carles Foguet
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine of University of Barcelona, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (C.F.); (M.C.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD) (CB17/04/00023) and Metabolomics Node at Spanish National Bioinformatics Institute (INB-ISCIII-ES-ELIXIR), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28020 Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Cascante
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine of University of Barcelona, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (C.F.); (M.C.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD) (CB17/04/00023) and Metabolomics Node at Spanish National Bioinformatics Institute (INB-ISCIII-ES-ELIXIR), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28020 Madrid, Spain
| | - Marcos J. Araúzo-Bravo
- Computational Biology and Systems Biomedicine Group, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, 20009 San Sebastian, Spain;
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, 48167 Münster, Germany
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERfes), 28015 Madrid, Spain
- Translational Bioinformatics Network (TransBioNet), 8001 Barcelona, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48012 Bilbao, Spain
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8
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Chung CH, Lin DW, Eames A, Chandrasekaran S. Next-Generation Genome-Scale Metabolic Modeling through Integration of Regulatory Mechanisms. Metabolites 2021; 11:606. [PMID: 34564422 PMCID: PMC8470976 DOI: 10.3390/metabo11090606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) are powerful tools for understanding metabolism from a systems-level perspective. However, GEMs in their most basic form fail to account for cellular regulation. A diverse set of mechanisms regulate cellular metabolism, enabling organisms to respond to a wide range of conditions. This limitation of GEMs has prompted the development of new methods to integrate regulatory mechanisms, thereby enhancing the predictive capabilities and broadening the scope of GEMs. Here, we cover integrative models encompassing six types of regulatory mechanisms: transcriptional regulatory networks (TRNs), post-translational modifications (PTMs), epigenetics, protein-protein interactions and protein stability (PPIs/PS), allostery, and signaling networks. We discuss 22 integrative GEM modeling methods and how these have been used to simulate metabolic regulation during normal and pathological conditions. While these advances have been remarkable, there remains a need for comprehensive and widespread integration of regulatory constraints into GEMs. We conclude by discussing challenges in constructing GEMs with regulation and highlight areas that need to be addressed for the successful modeling of metabolic regulation. Next-generation integrative GEMs that incorporate multiple regulatory mechanisms and their crosstalk will be invaluable for discovering cell-type and disease-specific metabolic control mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina H. Chung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (C.H.C.); (A.E.)
| | - Da-Wei Lin
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
| | - Alec Eames
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (C.H.C.); (A.E.)
| | - Sriram Chandrasekaran
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (C.H.C.); (A.E.)
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
- Program in Chemical Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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9
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Marino M, Vairo G, Wriggers P. Mechano-chemo-biological Computational Models for Arteries in Health, Disease and Healing: From Tissue Remodelling to Drug-eluting Devices. Curr Pharm Des 2021; 27:1904-1917. [PMID: 32723253 DOI: 10.2174/1381612826666200728145752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
This review aims to highlight urgent priorities for the computational biomechanics community in the framework of mechano-chemo-biological models. Recent approaches, promising directions and open challenges on the computational modelling of arterial tissues in health and disease are introduced and investigated, together with in silico approaches for the analysis of drug-eluting stents that promote pharmacological-induced healing. The paper addresses a number of chemo-biological phenomena that are generally neglected in biomechanical engineering models but are most likely instrumental for the onset and the progression of arterial diseases. An interdisciplinary effort is thus encouraged for providing the tools for an effective in silico insight into medical problems. An integrated mechano-chemo-biological perspective is believed to be a fundamental missing piece for crossing the bridge between computational engineering and life sciences, and for bringing computational biomechanics into medical research and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Marino
- Institute of Continuum Mechanics, Leibniz Universität Hannover, An der Universität 1, 30823 Garbsen, Germany
| | - Giuseppe Vairo
- Department of Civil Engineering and Computer Science, University of Rome "Tor Vergata" via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Peter Wriggers
- Institute of Continuum Mechanics, Leibniz Universität Hannover, An der Universität 1, 30823 Garbsen, Germany
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Cysteine and Folate Metabolism Are Targetable Vulnerabilities of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13030425. [PMID: 33498690 PMCID: PMC7866204 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13030425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary In this work, we studied the metabolic reprogramming of same-patient-derived cell lines with increasing metastatic potential to develop new therapeutic approaches against metastatic colorectal cancer. Using a novel systems biology approach to integrate multiple layers of omics data, we predicted and validated that cystine uptake and folate metabolism, two key pathways related to redox metabolism, are potential targets against metastatic colorectal cancer. Our findings indicate that metastatic cell lines are selectively dependent on redox homeostasis, paving the way for new targeted therapies. Abstract With most cancer-related deaths resulting from metastasis, the development of new therapeutic approaches against metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is essential to increasing patient survival. The metabolic adaptations that support mCRC remain undefined and their elucidation is crucial to identify potential therapeutic targets. Here, we employed a strategy for the rational identification of targetable metabolic vulnerabilities. This strategy involved first a thorough metabolic characterisation of same-patient-derived cell lines from primary colon adenocarcinoma (SW480), its lymph node metastasis (SW620) and a liver metastatic derivative (SW620-LiM2), and second, using a novel multi-omics integration workflow, identification of metabolic vulnerabilities specific to the metastatic cell lines. We discovered that the metastatic cell lines are selectively vulnerable to the inhibition of cystine import and folate metabolism, two key pathways in redox homeostasis. Specifically, we identified the system xCT and MTHFD1 genes as potential therapeutic targets, both individually and combined, for combating mCRC.
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11
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Using automated reasoning to explore the metabolism of unconventional organisms: a first step to explore host-microbial interactions. Biochem Soc Trans 2020; 48:901-913. [PMID: 32379295 DOI: 10.1042/bst20190667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Systems modelled in the context of molecular and cellular biology are difficult to represent with a single calibrated numerical model. Flux optimisation hypotheses have shown tremendous promise to accurately predict bacterial metabolism but they require a precise understanding of metabolic reactions occurring in the considered species. Unfortunately, this information may not be available for more complex organisms or non-cultured microorganisms such as those evidenced in microbiomes with metagenomic techniques. In both cases, flux optimisation techniques may not be applicable to elucidate systems functioning. In this context, we describe how automatic reasoning allows relevant features of an unconventional biological system to be identified despite a lack of data. A particular focus is put on the use of Answer Set Programming, a logic programming paradigm with combinatorial optimisation functionalities. We describe its usage to over-approximate metabolic responses of biological systems and solve gap-filling problems. In this review, we compare steady-states and Boolean abstractions of metabolic models and illustrate their complementarity via applications to the metabolic analysis of macro-algae. Ongoing applications of this formalism explore the emerging field of systems ecology, notably elucidating interactions between a consortium of microbes and a host organism. As the first step in this field, we will illustrate how the reduction in microbiotas according to expected metabolic phenotypes can be addressed with gap-filling problems.
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12
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Garde R, Ibrahim B, Kovács ÁT, Schuster S. Differential equation-based minimal model describing metabolic oscillations in Bacillus subtilis biofilms. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:190810. [PMID: 32257302 PMCID: PMC7062081 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Biofilms offer an excellent example of ecological interaction among bacteria. Temporal and spatial oscillations in biofilms are an emerging topic. In this paper, we describe the metabolic oscillations in Bacillus subtilis biofilms by applying the smallest theoretical chemical reaction system showing Hopf bifurcation proposed by Wilhelm and Heinrich in 1995. The system involves three differential equations and a single bilinear term. We specifically select parameters that are suitable for the biological scenario of biofilm oscillations. We perform computer simulations and a detailed analysis of the system including bifurcation analysis and quasi-steady-state approximation. We also discuss the feedback structure of the system and the correspondence of the simulations to biological observations. Our theoretical work suggests potential scenarios about the oscillatory behaviour of biofilms and also serves as an application of a previously described chemical oscillator to a biological system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravindra Garde
- Department of Bioinformatics, Matthias Schleiden Institute, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Ernst-Abbe-Platz 2, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Strasse 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Bashar Ibrahim
- Department of Bioinformatics, Matthias Schleiden Institute, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Ernst-Abbe-Platz 2, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Centre for Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics, Gulf University for Science and Technology, Hawally 32093, Kuwait
- Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Gulf University for Science and Technology, Hawally 32093, Kuwait
| | - Ákos T. Kovács
- Bacterial Interactions and Evolution Group, DTU Bioengineering, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads Building 221, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Stefan Schuster
- Department of Bioinformatics, Matthias Schleiden Institute, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Ernst-Abbe-Platz 2, 07743 Jena, Germany
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Karakitsou E, Foguet C, de Atauri P, Kultima K, Khoonsari PE, Martins dos Santos VA, Saccenti E, Rosato A, Cascante M. Metabolomics in systems medicine: an overview of methods and applications. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coisb.2019.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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