Effect of methionine on glycolysis in tumor cells: in vivo and in vitro NMR studies.

Inhibition of glycolysis by methionine is a phenomenon previously shown in transformed cells growing in culture. In a recent paper, [Collet V. et al., Q. Magn. Res. Biol. Med. 11, 127-134 (1995)] we investigated this effect in vivo by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, but the results did not clearly support this hypothesis. In this work, in vivo 13C NMR spectroscopy has been performed on tumors developing in nude mice following the injection of two types of cells established in culture: (1) rat kidney cells transformed by Kirsten murine sarcoma virus, (NRK-K), i.e. the same tumor cell line as that used in the original paper; and (2) a well dedifferentiated human prostate adenocarcinoma cell line (PC3). Furthermore, in vitro experiments were performed with the same tumor cell lines. The effect of methionine on glycolysis was assayed by biochemical monitoring of lactate production in the supernatant of these cells grown in vitro. Lastly, 1H in vitro NMR spectroscopy of the PC3 line performed on perchloric extracts of both supernatants and cells growing in the presence of (1-13C) glucose, allowed simultaneous detection of glucose and lactate as well as estimation of the lactate-specific enrichment. The in vitro experiments confirmed the inhibiting effect of methionine on glycolysis and demonstrated the absence of a significant modification of the pentose phosphate pathway activity by this aminoacid. In contrast, none of the in vivo experimental results were compatible with this phenomenon, which is probably affected by more general physiological events.