Metabolism of Alanine in Hepatocellular Carcinomas
Sample of quantified metabolite from GC-MS data
Details
PI - Dr. Chalermchai Khemtong
Institution - University of Florida
Department - College of Medicine
Project Affiliation - Fall 2023 - Present
Research Focus
Metabolites serve an important role in the TCA cycle and help meet our cellular energy demands. However, these pathways are altered in cancer cells. The goal of this project is to determine the role alanine plays in cancer cell metabolism. It is currently unknown whether alanine serves as an important metabolic fuel in cancer cells.
Project Responsibilities
Human hepatoma cells will be labeled and cultured. Gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) will be performed to measure amino acid and metabolite concentrations. Lastly, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) will be done to measure the real-time metabolism of alanine in the cancer cells.