Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Live Single Cancer Stem Cells
Zhibo Yang,
Assistant Professor,
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Mass spectrometry (MS) is a rapidly developing area for sensitive detection and accurate identification of broad ranges of biomolecules. We have developed a miniaturized multifunctional device, the Single-probe, that can be coupled to MS to analyze live single cells. One of the ongoing projects is to study cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs are vital for tumor development, relapse, and metastasis. However, current research in CSC biology is largely limited by the difficulty of obtaining sufficient CSCs. Thus, using MS method to study CSCs is a promising approach. We conducted a series of metabolomic analysis of live colorectal (HCT-116) CSCs, and compared the results with HCT-116 non-stem cancer cells (NSCCs). Our results show metabolomic features of CSCs are distinctly different from NSCCs at single cell level. Particularly, CSCs have significantly higher levels of unsaturated lipids compared to NSCCs. We demonstrated two enzymes, NF-?B and ALDH1A1, regulate the lipid desaturation in CSCs. In addition, our studies indicate that metabolites involved in TCA (tricarboxylic acid) cycle are more abundant in CSCs than those in NSCCs, indicating that their major energy production pathways are drastically different. Our studies suggest that lipid desaturation and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle could be potential targets for CSC-targeted treatment.
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