title: Metabolic signatures differentiate ovarian from colon cancer cell lines.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this era of precision medicine, the deep and comprehensive characterization of tumor phenotypes will lead to therapeutic strategies beyond classical factors such as primary sites or anatomical staging. Recently, "-omics" approached have enlightened our knowledge of tumor biology. Such approaches have been extensively implemented in order to provide biomarkers for monitoring of the disease as well as to improve readouts of therapeutic impact. The application of metabolomics to the study of cancer is especially beneficial, since it reflects the biochemical consequences of many cancer type-specific pathophysiological processes. Here, we characterize metabolic profiles of colon and ovarian cancer cell lines to provide broader insight into differentiating metabolic processes for prospective drug development and clinical screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  We applied non-targeted metabolomics-based mass spectroscopy combined with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography for the metabolic phenotyping of four cancer cell lines: two from colon cancer (HCT15, HCT116) and two from ovarian cancer (OVCAR3, SKOV3). We used the MetaP server for statistical data analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 225 metabolites were detected in all four cell lines; 67 of these molecules significantly discriminated colon cancer from ovarian cancer cells. Metabolic signatures revealed in our study suggest elevated tricarboxylic acid cycle and lipid metabolism in ovarian cancer cell lines, as well as increased β-oxidation and urea cycle metabolism in colon cancer cell lines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study provides a panel of distinct metabolic fingerprints between colon and ovarian cancer cell lines. These may serve as potential drug targets, and now can be evaluated further in primary cells, biofluids, and tissue samples for biomarker purposes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar-Foundation, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar. amh2025@qatar-med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Halama
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar. bguerrouahen@sidra.org.|Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, 10065, USA. bguerrouahen@sidra.org.|Experimental Biology Division-Research, Sidra Medical and Research Center, PO Box 26999, Doha, Qatar. bguerrouahen@sidra.org.
authors.forename: Bella S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Guerrouahen
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar. jep2026@qatar-med.cornell.edu.|Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, 10065, USA. jep2026@qatar-med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pasquier
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar-Foundation, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar. ild2003@qatar-med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Ilhem
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Diboun
authors.affiliation: Metabolon, Inc., Durham, NC, 27713, USA. EKaroly@metabolon.com.
authors.forename: Edward D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Karoly
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar-Foundation, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar. kas2049@qatar-med.cornell.edu.|Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany. kas2049@qatar-med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suhre
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar. jat2021@qatar-med.cornell.edu.|Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, 10065, USA. jat2021@qatar-med.cornell.edu.|Department of Genetic Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medical College, Stem Cell and Microenvironment Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar-Foundation, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar. jat2021@qatar-med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rafii
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D055442:Metabolome; D055432:Metabolomics / Q000379:methods*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*