Nitrogen isotopic composition as a gauge of tumor cell anabolism-to-catabolism ratio.

ABSTRACT: Studies have suggested that cancerous tissue has a lower ¹⁵N/¹⁴N ratio than benign tissue. However, human data have been inconclusive, possibly due to constraints on experimental design. Here, we used high-sensitivity nitrogen isotope methods to assess the ¹⁵N/¹⁴N ratio of human breast, lung, and kidney cancer tissue at unprecedented spatial resolution. In lung, breast, and urothelial carcinoma, ¹⁵N/¹⁴N was negatively correlated with tumor cell density. The magnitude of ¹⁵N depletion for a given tumor cell density was consistent across different types of lung cancer, ductal in situ and invasive breast carcinoma, and urothelial carcinoma, suggesting similar elevations in the anabolism-to-catabolism ratio. However,

SUBMITTER: Straub M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10643536 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature