No abstract

Heterozygous mutations in NADP‐dependent isocitrate dehydrogenases (IDH) define the large majority of diffuse gliomas and are associated with hypermethylation of DNA and chromatin. The metabolic dysregulations imposed by these mutations, whether dependent or not on the oncometabolite D‐2‐hydroxyglutarate (D2HG), are less well understood. Here, we applied mass spectrometry imaging on intracranial patient‐derived xenografts of IDH‐mutant versus IDH wild‐type glioma to profile the distribution of metabolites at high anatomical resolution in situ. This approach was complemented by in vivo tracing of labeled nutrients followed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC‐MS) analysis. Selected metabolites were verified on clinical specimen. Our data identify remarkable differences in the phospholipid composition of gliomas harboring the IDH1 mutation. Moreover, we show that these tumors are characterized by reduced glucose turnover and a lower energy potential, correlating with their reduced aggressivity. Despite these differences, our data also show that D2HG overproduction does not result in a global aberration of the central carbon metabolism, indicating strong adaptive mechanisms at hand. Intriguingly, D2HG shows no quantitatively important glucose‐derived label in IDH‐mutant tumors, which suggests that the synthesis of this oncometabolite may rely on alternative carbon sources. Despite a reduction in NADPH, glutathione levels are maintained. We found that genes coding for key enzymes in de novo glutathione synthesis are highly expressed in IDH‐mutant gliomas and the expression of cystathionine‐β‐synthase (CBS) correlates with patient survival in the oligodendroglial subtype. This study provides a detailed and clinically relevant insight into the in vivo metabolism of IDH1‐mutant gliomas and points to novel metabolic vulnerabilities in these tumors.

MALDI imaging mass spectrometry represents a new analytical tool to directly provide the spatial distribution and relative abundance of proteins in tissue. Twenty-five ovary carcinomas (stages III and IV) and 23 benign ovaries were directly analyzed using MALDI-TOF MS. The biomarker with the major prevalence (80%) has been fully identified using MALDI MS and nanoESI MS and MS/MS after separation by RP-HPLC and trypsin enzymatic digestion. This marker with an m/z of 9744 corresponds to 84 amino acid residues from the 11S proteasome activator complex, named PA28 or Reg-alpha. Validation of this marker has been performed using MALDI imaging, classical immunocytochemistry with an antibody raised against the C-terminal part of the protein, specific MALDI imaging, and Western blot analysis. The validation, using immunocytochemistry, confirmed the epithelial localization of this fragment with nucleus localization in benign epithelial cells and a cytoplasmic localization in carcinoma cells. This indicates that this antibody could be used to discriminate the borderline tumor cases. At this point, a multicentric study needs to be conducted in order to clearly establish the potential of this biomarker. Taken together these studies reflect that direct tissue analysis and specific MALDI imaging strategies facilitate biomarker hunting and validation which can be named pathological proteomics.