Constructing de Novo Biosynthetic Pathways for Chemical Synthesis inside Living Cells

Biosynthetic pathways in chemical phylogeny.

An approach to chemical phylogeny is discussed, based on an emphasis on alterations of biosynthetic pathways rather than on isolations of individual compounds. Some offshoots of biosynthetic pathways to target molecules such as gibberellic acid are considered. Attempts are made to assess the significance of alterations of pathways in terms of the chemical probabilities of their occurrences. Att...

Biosynthesis of Chemical Signals – De Novo Synthesis and Secondary Metabolites

De Novo Glutamine Synthesis

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate the role of de novo glutamine (Gln) synthesis in the proliferation of C6 glioma cells and its detection with (13)N-ammonia. METHODS Chronic Gln-deprived C6 glioma (0.06C6) cells were established. The proliferation rates of C6 and 0.06C6 cells were measured under the conditions of Gln deprivation along with or without the addition of ammonia or ...

Direct Visualization of De novo Lipogenesis in Single Living Cells

Increased de novo lipogenesis is being increasingly recognized as a hallmark of cancer. Despite recent advances in fluorescence microscopy, autoradiography and mass spectrometry, direct observation of de novo lipogenesis in living systems remains to be challenging. Here, by coupling stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy with isotope labeled glucose, we were able to trace the dynamic meta...

Impact of low-lipid environment on de novo lipid synthesis pathways in cancer cells

Increased lipogenesis is a hallmark of a wide variety of cancers and is under intense investigation as potential anti-neoplastic target. Although brisk lipogenesis is observed in the presence of exogenous lipids, evidence is mounting that these lipids may adversely affect the efficacy of inhibitors of lipogenic pathways. Therefore, to fully exploit the therapeutic potential of lipid synthesis i...