Tracking Branched Chain Amino Acid Transferase (BCAT) Activity in Cancer Cells via ¹³C NMR Spectroscopy

Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful technique for identifying and tracking biological compounds in a chemical reaction. In studies of cancer, NMR spectroscopy is particularly useful because it has the specificity to identify and monitor specific biochemical changes in the cellular environment. In this work, we have used ¹³C NMR to investigate the abnormal metabolic activity of glioblastoma or cancerous astrocytes by using 13C-enriched alpha-ketoisocaproate (aKIC) and 13C-alpha-ketoisovalerate (aKIV). The enzyme called branched chain amino acid transferase is overexpressed in these cells and thus, there is an overproduction of leucine from aKIC and valine from aKIV. The metabolic kinetics and potential diagnostic applications of these potential glioblastoma biomarkers will be discussed.