Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggest that the pyridine nucleotide NAD has far wider biological functions than its classical role in energy metabolism. NAD is used by hundreds of enzymes that catalyze substrate oxidation and, as such, it plays a key role in various biological processes such as aging, cell death, and oxidative stress. It has been suggested that changes in the ratio of free cytosolic [NAD(+)]/[NADH] reflects metabolic alterations leading to, or correlating with, pathological states. We have designed an isotopically labeled metabolic bioprobe of free cytosolic [NAD(+)]/[NADH] by combining a magnetic enhancement technique (hyperpolarization) with cellular glycolytic activity. The bioprobe reports free cytosolic [NAD(+)]/[NADH] ratios based on dynamically measured in-cell [pyruvate]/[lactate] ratios. We demonstrate its utility in breast and prostate cancer cells. The free cytosolic [NAD(+)]/[NADH] ratio determined in prostate cancer cells was 4 times higher than in breast cancer cells. This higher ratio reflects a distinct metabolic phenotype of prostate cancer cells consistent with previously reported alterations in the energy metabolism of these cells. As a reporter on free cytosolic [NAD(+)]/[NADH] ratio, the bioprobe will enable better understanding of the origin of diverse pathological states of the cell as well as monitor cellular consequences of diseases and/or treatments.
Highlights
Free cytosolic [NADϩ]/[NADH] ratio maintains cellular redox homeostasis and is a cellular metabolic readout
Determination of free cytosolic [NADϩ]/[NADH] ratios using hyperpolarized glucose is applicable to a wide selection of cell types
The free cytosolic [NAD؉]/[NADH] ratio determined in prostate cancer cells was 4 times higher than in breast cancer cells
Summary
Free cytosolic [NADϩ]/[NADH] ratio maintains cellular redox homeostasis and is a cellular metabolic readout. The bioprobe reports free cytosolic [NAD؉]/[NADH] ratios based on dynamically measured in-cell [pyruvate]/[lactate] ratios. Many studies have successfully estimated the [NADϩ]/ [NADH] ratio using this indirect metabolic method [15,16,17]; the use of chemical cellular extraction makes this approach incompatible with dynamic studies in intact cells. Another less invasive strategy directly estimates the [NADϩ]/. A technique was reported which dramatically enhances the signal that can be achieved in NMR experiments This technique allows metabolites that have been hyperpolarized with dynamic nuclear polarization [21] to retain their hyperpolarization in a short time-window when dissolved [22]. This observation is likely to be correlated with a preference for fatty acids as cellular energy source as well as an increased de novo fatty acid synthesis of these cells
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