Tracing the nitrogen metabolites of glycine using (15)N-glycine and mass spectrometry.

Abstract

RATIONALE:

Glycine is the smallest amino acid used in protein synthesis, but it is also a very important precursor for the biosynthesis of other nitrogen-containing metabolites, such as purine nucleosides and nucleotides for synthesis of RNA, DNA etc. Abnormalities in glycine metabolism therefore cause diseases such as cancer. A quick and unambiguous method to trace the metabolites arising from glycine is required for targeting defect points within metabolic networks.

METHODS:

This paper describes a method for using (15)N-glycine to culture A549 cancer cells for use with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and tandem mass spectrometry (HRMS(2)) that can detect the (M+1)/M pair peaks appearing in the cell metabolites. The 1 Da difference in the pair peaks can be used to point out and identify the nitrogen metabolites of glycine.

RESULTS:

Thirteen nitrogen-containing metabolites derived from glycine were confirmed. Among them were metabolites containing purine, such as adenine, adenosine, AMP, ADP, ATP, S-adenosylmethionine and γ-glutathione; these were the most sensitive to the (15)N-glycine-enrichment technique. Therefore, they are promising biomarkers for monitoring the glycine metabolism network.

CONCLUSIONS:

The method developed here could be applied to investigations of metabolism of other amino acids, and for drug discovery studies targeting the enzymes related to amino acid metabolism.

• Authors: Lin-na Liu, Ting-ting Fu, Xun-fu Xu, Chuan Fu, Mei-juan Fang, Yan Liu, Peng-xiang Xu, Yu-fen Zhao
• Journal: Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM (Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom) Vol. 29 Issue 7 Pg. 645-53 (Apr 15 2015) ISSN: 1097-0231 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 26212282 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chemical References

• Ions
• Nitrogen Isotopes
• Glycine

Topics

• Cell Line
• Glycine (analysis, chemistry, metabolism)
• Humans
• Ions (analysis, chemistry)
• Metabolomics
• Nitrogen Isotopes (analysis, chemistry, metabolism)
• Tandem Mass Spectrometry (methods)