Metabolomics Core Facility

• Core Introduction
• Basics of Metabolite Profiling and Metabolic Flux Analysis
• How to Perform in vivo Metabolomics

CHMP – Profiling (Semi-Quantitation) – Comprehensive Hydrophilic Metabolites Panel
Use LCMS to acquire signals from a broad spectrum of water-soluble metabolites. 300 plus targets include but not limit to amino acids, nucleotides and nucleobase/nucleosides, cofactors, Krebs cycle, TCA cycle, urea cycle, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate pathway, etc. See CHMP Target list for details. 30-40 minutes run with raw data available.

CLP – Profiling (Semi-Quantitation) – Comprehensive Lipids Panel
Use LCMS to acquire signals from a broad spectrum of lipids. 200 plus targets include CE, Cer, DG, LPC, PC,PE, PG, PI, PS, SM, TG, etc. See CLP Target List for details. 30-40 minutes run with raw data available.

PTM – Profiling (Semi-Quantitation) – Targeted Metabolites/Lipids/Small Molecules
Use LCMS to acquire signals for specific targets-of-your-interest (hydrophilic metabolites, lipids or other small molecules). Standard compounds are required for certain metabolites. 25-35 minutes run with raw data available.

FLUX – Profiling (Semi-Quantitation) – Fluxomics
Use LCMS to acquire signals of steady isotope (¹³C, ²H, or ¹⁵N) incorporated metabolites after incubation of substrates in order to study metabolic flux in specific pathways. Common substrates include but not limit to Glucose-¹³C6, Glutamine-¹³C5, Pyruvate-¹³C3, Creatine-¹³C4, Methionine-¹³C5, Nictinamide-¹³C3,¹⁵N. 25-35 minutes run with raw data.

QTM – Quantification (Absolute-Quantitation) – Targeted Metabolites/Lipids/Small Molecules
Use LCMS to quantify targets-of-your-interest (hydrophilic metabolites, lipids or small molecules) from sample extractions. Standard compounds of targets and internal standards (normally isotope labelled targets) are required.

UMHM – Untargeted Metabolomics (Discovery-Mode) – Hydrophilic Metabolites
Use LCMS to acquire signals from water soluble metabolites extractions. Raw data from untargeted metabolomics method (full MS1 scan with data dependent MS2) will be provided. Researchers will choose their own choice of partners (including core’s collaborator from outside institute) to perform untargeted metabolomics analysis.

• For profiling (Semi-Quantitation) services, targets will be annotated, and peak areas with artificial unit will be reported for comparison between samples.
• For quantification (Absolute-Quantitation) services, amount or concentration will be reported.
• For untargeted metabolomics (Discovery-Mode) services, only raw data with full MS1 scan and data dependent MS2 will be provided.

Sample Preparation
Process samples for LCMS injection.

Method Development
Develop or optimize new assays per customer request.

SeaHorse Analyzers
Shared instruments are provided for researchers to perform self-guided SeaHorse experiments.

Consulting

• Please contact the correct core branch to discuss the project and submission.
• Once ready to submit samples, visit https://nucore.northwestern.edu/facilities/Metabo and follow the instructions to generate NUCore order.
• Print out the Sample Submission Form generated by NUCore ordering system and bring samples to core.

Starting Materials - It is important to keep the amount of starting material (cell number, equivalent protein amount, bio-liquid volume and tissue weight, etc.) as same as possible across the batch. Starting material amount is required during submission to calculate injection amount.

Turnaround Time - Under normal circumstances, 10 business days are typical for medium-low complexity projects. Projects that are more complex take longer.

Sample/Data Storage - Leftover samples (if any) will be kept in -20°C freezer for 3 months, and the raw data will be kept for up to 12 months.

Approved Price List  - Please contact core.

• UHPLC-MS (Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap): Thermo Ultimate-3000 + Q-exactive
• UHPLC-MS (Triple Quadrupole): Thermo Vanquish + TSQ
• SeaHorse Analyzer: XFe96 – 96-well plate
• SeaHorse Analyzer: XFp – 8-well plate
• Speed-Vac

Myeloid Fatty Acid Metabolism Activates Neighboring Hematopoietic Stem Cells to Promote Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.
Filipp M, Ge ZD, DeBerge M, Lantz C, Glinton K, Gao P, Smolgovsky S, Dai J, Zhao YY, Yvan-Charvet L, Alcaide P, Weinberg SE, Schiattarella GG, Hill JA, Feinstein MJ, Shah SJ, Thorp EB.

Metformin targets mitochondrial complex I to lower blood glucose levels.
Reczek CR, Chakrabarty RP, D'Alessandro KB, Sebo ZL, Grant RA, Gao P, Budinger GR, Chandel NS.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase obstructs CD8+ T cell lipid utilization in the tumor microenvironment.
Hunt EG, Hurst KE, Riesenberg BP, Kennedy AS, Gandy EJ, Andrews AM, Del Mar Alicea Pauneto C, Ball LE, Wallace ED, Gao P, Meier J, Serody JJ, Coleman MF, Thaxton JE.

Time-restricted feeding mitigates obesity through adipocyte thermogenesis.
Hepler C, Weidemann BJ, Waldeck NJ, Marcheva B, Cedernaes J, Thorne AK, Kobayashi Y, Nozawa R, Newman MV, Gao P, Shao M, Ramsey KM, Gupta RK, Bass J.

Purine nucleotide depletion prompts cell migration by stimulating the serine synthesis pathway.
Soflaee MH, Kesavan R, Sahu U, Tasdogan A, Villa E, Djabari Z, Cai F, Tran DH, Vu HS, Ali ES, Rion H, O'Hara BP, Kelekar S, Hallett JH, Martin M, Mathews TP, Gao P, Asara JM, Manning BD, Ben-Sahra I, Hoxhaj G.

IDH3α regulates one-carbon metabolism in glioblastoma.
May JL, Kouri FM, Hurley LA, Liu J, Tommasini-Ghelfi S, Ji Y, Gao P, Calvert AE, Lee A, Chandel NS, Davuluri RV, Horbinski CM, Locasale JW, Stegh AH.

More publications

Work performed in Metabolomics Core Facility should be acknowledged as following:

• Metabolomics experiments were performed by Metabolomics Core Facility at Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center (generously supported by NCI CCSG P30 CA060553) of Northwestern University.