2019/12/18 by Kai‐Chih Huang, Huang, Kai-Chih, Junjie Li +7
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph) #Cell Image Analysis Techniques #FOS: Biological sciences #FOS: Physical sciences #Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Studies #Quantitative Methods (q-bio.QM) #Spectroscopy Techniques in Biomedical and Chemical Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1912.08340
openalex publication_date 2019/12/18 · openalex created_date 2019/12/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In situ measurement of cellular metabolites is still a challenge in biology. Conventional methods, such as mass spectrometry or fluorescence microscopy, would either destruct the sample or introduce strong perturbations to the functions of target molecules. Here, we present multiplex stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) imaging cytometry as a label-free single-cell analysis platform with chemical specifity, and high-throughput capabilities. Cellular compartments such as lipid droplets, endoplasmic reticulum, and nuclei are seperated from the cytoplasm. Based on these chemical segmentations, 260 features from both morphology and molecular composition were generated and analyzed for each cell. Using SRS imaging cytometry, we studied the metabolic responses of human pancreatic cancer cells under stress by starvation and chemotherapy drug treatments. We unveiled lipid-facilitated protrusion as a metabolic marker for stress-resistant cancer cells through statistical analysis of thousands of cells. Our findings also demonstrate the potential of targeting lipid metabolism for selective treatment of starvation-resistant and chemotherapy-resistant cancers. These results highlight our SRS imaging cytometry as a powerful label-free tool for biological discoveries with a high-throughput, high-content capacity.