Effects of hypoxia on the tryptophan metabolic pathways in gliomas

• Grant number: 14/16959-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2014
• End date: August 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Metabolism and Bioenergetics
• Principal Investigator: Ana Campa
• Grantee: Nathalia Gentile Machado
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Hypoxia is a commonly present factor in tumors and it is responsible for important changes in tumor cell metabolism, with an essential task in metastatis and therapy resistance. In turn, the catabolism of the amino acid tryptophan has been increasing as a target in cancer research and it is an important mechanism in tumor immune escape. Besides there are lots of studies that evaluate hypoxia effects on macromolecules metabolism, mainly in carbohidrates, there is no description of hypoxia influence on tryptophan metabolism. Due to the importance of hypoxia and tryptophan metabolism in tumor development and progression, this approach can elucidate some physiopathology of cancer. The present project aims to study the influence of hypoxia on the different tryptophan metabolic pathways in gliomas, one of the more resistant tumors to therapy. Glioma cell lines A172 and T98G will be submitted to normoxia and hypoxia conditions, with posterior tryptophan metabolites evaluation by mass spectrometry (Triple Quadrupole - LC-MS/MS) in a protocol in validation by the PhD student Ariane Rivellis Julio (FAPESP 2012/0764-8) in colaboration with Professor Ernani Pinto.