This work was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (K08-DK073545 and NICHD-sponsored Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center New Investigator Award), The Philadelphia Foundation, and University of Pennsylvania McCabe award (M.J.F.), as well as the Tristan Mullen Fund (M.J.F and M.Y.). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National institutes of Health.

<ol>
	<li>Hope, I. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> C. elegans: A practical approach. , (1999).</li><li>Dingley, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mitochondrial+respiratory+chain+dysfunction+variably+increases+oxidant+stress+in+Caenorhabditis+elegans.">Mitochondrial respiratory chain dysfunction variably increases oxidant stress in Caenorhabditis elegans.</a> Mitochondrion. 10, 125-136 (2010).</li><li>Jones, B. N., Gilligan, J. P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=o-Phthaldialdehyde+precolumn+derivatization+and+reversed-phase+high-performance+liquid+chromatography+of+polypeptide+hydrolysates+and+physiological+fluids.">o-Phthaldialdehyde precolumn derivatization and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of polypeptide hydrolysates and physiological fluids.</a> Journal of chromatography. 266, 471-482 (1983).</li><li>Falk, M. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Metabolic+pathway+profiling+of+mitochondrial+respiratory+chain+mutants+in+C.+elegans.">Metabolic pathway profiling of mitochondrial respiratory chain mutants in C. elegans.</a> Molecular genetics and metabolism. 93, 388-397 (2008).</li><li>Yudkoff, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Measuring+in+vivo+ureagenesis+with+stable+isotopes.">Measuring in vivo ureagenesis with stable isotopes.</a> Molecular genetics and metabolism. 100, 37-41 (2010).</li><li>Tsang, W. Y., Sayles, L. C., Grad, L. I., Pilgrim, D. B., Lemire, B. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mitochondrial+respiratory+chain+deficiency+in+Caenorhabditis+elegans+results+in+developmental+arrest+and+increased+life+span.">Mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiency in Caenorhabditis elegans results in developmental arrest and increased life span.</a> J Biol Chem. 276, 32240-32246 (2001).</li></ol>

No conflicts of interest declared.

Applying mass spectrometry to measure isotopic abundance in intermediary metabolites affords a wonderfully detailed picture of critical biochemical changes5. Here, we have provided detailed protocols for exploiting this highly sensitive and specific methodology to assess intermediary metabolic flux in the genetically versatile model animal, C. elegans. Indeed, feeding living animals with stable isotope labeled metabolic precursors (such as 13C-glucose) permits novel insight into intermediary metabolic pathway flux when measuring isotopic enrichment in downstream metabolites. We have developed reliable methodology to obtain robust analysis of flux through glycolysis, pyruvate metabolism, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. This can be achieved both in animals fed stable isotope from early larval developmental stages or beginning in the post-mitotic adult period. Isotopic enrichment in different metabolite species can be studied in conjunction with whole worm free amino acid profiling by high performance liquid chromatography, as previously described4, to determine absolute isotopic enrichment in different species of free worm alanine, aspartate, glutamate, and glutamine. Indeed, consistent patterns of isotopic enrichment are obtained when measuring amino acid and organic acid analytes in aliquots of 1,000 to 2,000 young adult synchronous worms. Such methodology can sensitively discriminate abnormal intermediary flux in nuclear gene-based mitochondrial mutant strains relative to wild-type worms.
This technique holds value to investigate flux alterations in specific biochemical pathways of relevance to common inborn errors of metabolism. In particular, the utilization of glucose labeled with stable isotope informs carbon flux through central metabolic pathways of relevance to mitochondrial disease. Indeed, our data suggest application of such methodology can sensitively discriminate abnormal intermediary flux in a nuclear gene-based mitochondrial complex III subunit mutant strain (isp-1(qm150)) relative to wild-type worms.
It is important to recognize that since isotopic exposure is completed over a period of one to several days, quantified isotopic enrichment represents a "steady state" enrichment value rather than quantifiable flux over a defined period of time as might be determined in cell-based models exposed to isotope for a period of minutes to hours. Another potential limitation of interrogating pathway flux over the course of nematode development relates to differing lengths of larval development that occur in particular mutant strains. For example, many severe mitochondrial mutations are known to cause arrest at the third (L3) larval stage6. Thus, analysis of isotope incorporation only in animals that survive to adulthood may not be representative of the entire mutant population. However, this methodology could be adapted to assess isotopic incorporation in intermediary metabolites at a specific larval stage (such as L2) rather than waiting for animals to reach the adult stage. Similarly, animals that enter the alternative larval stage known as dauer likely have significantly altered (likely lower) metabolic flux relative to animals who proceed directly through the four larval stages. Future study could also be performed to directly assess isotopic incorporation in dauer stage animals of different genetic backgrounds. Exposing animals to stable isotope for a fixed time period (here, 24 to 48 hours) beginning once animals reached the young adult stage (as detailed in Protocol B) removes the impact of variable developmental periods. While 13C-glucose only interrogates glycolysis, pyruvate metabolism and tricarboxylic acid cycle flux, other isotopic tracers could potentially be assessed to interrogate biochemical pathway flux through other pathways of interest in nematodes. For example, 15N-glycine might be utilized to assess amino acid turnover in nematodes.
Another potential limitation of this approach is the level of sensitivity of metabolite detection. Our experience suggests a minimum of 500 young adult nematodes are required to successfully quantify isotopic incorporation by the HPLC and GC/MS methods employed here. Use of instruments with greater sensitivity, such as ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), may permit further reduction of animal number studied, although we anticipate this is unlikely to permit reliable quantitation of metabolites and isotopic incorporation into metabolite species from single worms. We studied worm populations of 1,000 animals per experiment, which we found to reliably detect low abundance metabolites in each strain. However, some metabolites, such as GABA, can only be reliably quantified in much larger populations of nematodes, on the order of 1x106 animals4.
In summary, stable isotope profiling provides a non-invasive and safe (non-radioactive) approach that has long been utilized to study inborn errors of metabolism. Application of this methodology to C. elegans provides the novel capacity to investigate in vivo, real-time, metabolic alterations that occur at the whole animal level, which may result from individual genetic disorders and/or pharmacologic agent exposures.

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		<div>
		<table border="1">
		<thead>
		<tr>
		<th>Material Name</th>
		<th>Type</th>
		<th>Company</th>
		<th>Catalogue Number</th>
		<th>Comment</th>
		</tr>
		</thead>
		<tbody>
		
<tr>
<td>S. basal</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>1 - page 59</td>
<td>Protocols A and B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Cholesterol</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>C-8503</td>
<td>Protocol B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>OP50 E. coli</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Caenorhabditis Genetics Center</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Protocols A and C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>K12 E. coli</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Caenorhabditis Genetics Center</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Protocol B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>NGM agar</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Research Products INT</td>
<td>N81800-1000.0</td>
<td>Protocols A, B, and C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>13C glucose (universally labeled)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Cambridge Isotope labs</td>
<td>CLM-1396</td>
<td>Protocol A and C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>13C glucose (1,6 labeled)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Cambridge Isotope labs</td>
<td>CLM-2717</td>
<td>Protocol B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>60% Perchloric acid (PCA)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Fisher</td>
<td>MK2766500</td>
<td>Protocols A and B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>&epsilon;-aminocaproic acid (Internal Standard)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>A-2504</td>
<td>Protocols A and B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>MTBSTFA</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Regis</td>
<td>270243</td>
<td>Protocol E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Acetonitrile</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Regis</td>
<td>270010</td>
<td>Protocol E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AG 1-X8, 100-200, Chloride form resin</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>BIO-RAD</td>
<td>140-1441</td>
<td>Protocols A and B (organic acid extraction)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AG 50W-X8, 100-200, Hydrogen form resin</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>BIO-RAD</td>
<td>142-1441</td>
<td>Protocols A and B (amino acid extraction)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>NaHCO3</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>S-8875</td>
<td>Protocol C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>NaOH</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>S8045</td>
<td>Protocol C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3N HCl</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>320331</td>
<td>Protocol D</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1N HCl</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>320331</td>
<td>Protocol A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>0.1 N HCl</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>320331</td>
<td>Protocol D</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4N NH4OH</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>30501</td>
<td>Protocol D</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4N KOH</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>484016</td>
<td>Protocols A and B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Deionized water</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Milli Q Biocel</td>
<td>ZMQA60F01</td>
<td>Protocol D</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Helium</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Airgas</td>
<td>24001364</td>
<td>Protocol C2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SMZ-800 Zoom Stereo-Microscope</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>NIKON</td>
<td>NI MNA41000</td>
<td>Protocols A, B, and C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>pH meter</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Fisher</td>
<td>S68167</td>
<td>Protocols A and B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Table top centrifuge - 5804R</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Eppendorf</td>
<td>05-400-93</td>
<td>Protocols A and B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Incubated platform shaker</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>New Brunswick</td>
<td>M1324-0004</td>
<td>Protocol B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mini LabRoller Rotator</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Labnet</td>
<td>H-5500</td>
<td>Protocols A and B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Pestles</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Kontes</td>
<td>K749520-0090</td>
<td>Protocols A and B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Drill</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Kontes</td>
<td>K749540-0000</td>
<td>Protocols A and B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1 L glass beaker</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Fisher</td>
<td>02-539P</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>1 L Erlenmeyer Flasks</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>VWR</td>
<td>89000-368</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>25 mL Erlenmeyer Flasks</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>VWR</td>
<td>89000-356</td>
<td>Protocol B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7ml round-bottom glass tubes + rubber stopper</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>VWR</td>
<td>VT6431</td>
<td>Protocols A, B, and C1,C2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>10 ml round-bottom glass tubes + rubber stopper</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>VWR</td>
<td>VT6430</td>
<td>Protocol C2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Blue top tubes</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Labco</td>
<td>438B</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>50 ml conical plastic tubes</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Falcon</td>
<td>14-959-49A</td>
<td>All protocols</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1.5 ml microfuge tubes</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Fisher</td>
<td>02-681-320</td>
<td>Protocols A and B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Syringes (1 mL, 10 mL, 20 mL)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>BD Medical</td>
<td>301025, 301029, 301031</td>
<td>Protocols C1 and C2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>25 gauge needles</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Fisher</td>
<td>22-253-131</td>
<td>Protocols C1 and C2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Poly-Prep Chromatography Columns</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>BIO-RAD</td>
<td>731-1550</td>
<td>Protocol D</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Pasteur pipettes</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>VWR</td>
<td>14673-043</td>
<td>Protocol D</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>60mm Petri dishes</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>VWR</td>
<td>25373-085</td>
<td>Protocol C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Glass chamber (cut bottom of 1 L flask) fitted with grease-sealed 3-way stopcock</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Custom Made in Glass Shop</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Protocol C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Optically transparent glass plate</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Custom Made in Glass Shop</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Protocol C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Reacti-Vap III Evaporator</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
<td>18826</td>
<td>Protocol D</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Cotton</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>VWR</td>
<td>14224-516</td>
<td>Protocol D</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>High Vacuum Grease</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Dow Corning</td>
<td>1597418</td>
<td>Protocol C1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Aluminum Foil</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Fisher</td>
<td>01-213-18</td>
<td>Protocol B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timer</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>ISC Bioexpress</td>
<td>T-2504-5</td>
<td>Protocol C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gas-Ratio Mass Spectrometer</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Thermophinigan</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Protocol D</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>GC-MS</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>HP</td>
<td>5980/5971</td>
<td>Protocol D</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>GC-MS</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Agilent</td>
<td>6980N/5973N</td>
<td>Protocol D</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>HPLC</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Varian</td>
<td>9010</td>
<td>Protocol D</td>
</tr>		</tbody>
		</table>
		</div>

stable isotopic profiling of intermediary metabolic flux in developing and adult stage caenorhabditis elegans

Stable isotopic profiling has long permitted sensitive investigations of the metabolic consequences of genetic mutations and/or pharmacologic therapies in cellular and mammalian models. Here, we describe detailed methods to perform stable isotopic profiling of intermediary metabolism and metabolic flux in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. Methods are described for profiling whole worm free amino acids, labeled carbon dioxide, labeled organic acids, and labeled amino acids in animals exposed to stable isotopes either from early development on nematode growth media agar plates or beginning as young adults while exposed to various pharmacologic treatments in liquid culture. Free amino acids are quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in whole worm aliquots extracted in 4% perchloric acid. Universally labeled 13C-glucose or 1,6-13C2-glucose is utilized as the stable isotopic precursor whose labeled carbon is traced by mass spectrometry in carbon dioxide (both atmospheric and dissolved) as well as in metabolites indicative of flux through glycolysis, pyruvate metabolism, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Representative results are included to demonstrate effects of isotope exposure time, various bacterial clearing protocols, and alternative worm disruption methods in wild-type nematodes, as well as the relative extent of isotopic incorporation in mitochondrial complex III mutant worms (isp-1(qm150)) relative to wild-type worms. Application of stable isotopic profiling in living nematodes provides a novel capacity to investigate at the whole animal level real-time metabolic alterations that are caused by individual genetic disorders and/or pharmacologic therapies.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Stable Isotopic Profiling of Intermediary Metabolic Flux in Developing and Adult Stage Caenorhabditis elegans at JoVE.com

Stable Isotopic Profiling of Intermediary Metabolic Flux in Developing and Adult Stage Caenorhabditis elegans

Stable isotopic profiling by gas chromatography mass spectrometric analysis of intermediary metabolic flux is described in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. Methods are detailed for assessing isotopic enrichment in carbon dioxide, organic acids, and amino acids following isotope exposure either during development on agar plates or during adulthood in liquid culture.

Stable Isotopic Profiling of Intermediary Metabolic Flux in Developing and Adult Stage Caenorhabditis elegans

Stable isotopic profiling has long permitted sensitive investigations of the metabolic consequences of genetic mutations and/or pharmacologic therapies in ...

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13.4K Views.  The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Stable isotopic profiling by gas chromatography mass spectrometric analysis of intermediary metabolic flux is described in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. Methods are detailed for assessing isotopic enrichment in carbon dioxide, organic acids, and amino acids following isotope exposure either during development on agar plates or during adulthood in liquid culture.