Preparation of Intracellular Metabolite Extracts from Liquid Schizosaccharomyces pombe Cultures

Aging markers in human urine: A comprehensive, non-targeted LC-MS study

Metabolites in human biofluids document the physiological status of individuals. We conducted comprehensive, non-targeted, non-invasive metabolomic analysis of urine from 27 healthy human subjects, comprising 13 young adults (30 ± 3 years) and 14 seniors (76 ± 4 years). Quantitative analysis of 99 metabolites revealed 55 that displayed significant differences in abundance between the two groups. Forty-four did not show a statistically significant relationship with age. These include 13 standard amino acids, 5 methylated, 4 acetylated, and 9 other amino acids, 6 nucleosides, nucleobases, and derivatives, 4 sugar derivatives, 5 sugar phosphates, 4 carnitines, 2 hydroxybutyrates, 1 choline, and 1 ethanolamine derivative, and glutathione disulfide. Abundances of 53 compounds decreased, while 2 (glutathione disulfide, myo-inositol) increased in elderly people. The great majority of age-linked markers were highly correlated with creatinine. In contrast, 44 other urinary metabolites, including urate, carnitine, hippurate, and betaine, were not age-linked, neither declining nor increasing in elderly subjects. As metabolite profiles of urine and blood are quite different, age-related information in urine offers additional valuable insights into aging mechanisms of endocrine system. Correlation analysis of urinary metabolites revealed distinctly inter-related groups of compounds.

Metabolomic Analysis of Schizosaccharomyces pombe: Sample Preparation, Detection, and Data Interpretation

Metabolomics is a modern field of chemical biology that strives to simultaneously quantify hundreds of cellular metabolites. Techniques for metabolomic analysis in Schizosaccharomyces pombe have only recently been developed. Here we introduce methods that provide a complete workflow for metabolomic analysis in S. pombe Based on available literature, we estimate the yeast metabolome to comprise on the order of several thousand different metabolites. We discuss the feasibility of extraction and detection of such a large number of metabolites, and the influences of various parameters on the results. Among the parameters addressed are cell cultivation conditions, metabolite extraction techniques, and detection and quantification methods. Further, we provide recommendations on data management and data processing for metabolomic experiments, and describe possible pitfalls regarding the interpretation of metabolomic data. Finally, we briefly discuss potential future developments of this technique.

Measurement of Metabolome Samples Using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Data Acquisition, and Processing

We present a protocol for metabolomic sample measurement using hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) combined with high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS). We also introduce a raw data processing method using MZmine 2 software, and include a list of 111 metabolite peaks (with their m/z values and retention times) previously identified in metabolome samples using this method.