Longitudinal FRET Imaging of Glucose and Lactate Dynamics and Response to Therapy in Breast Cancer Cells

Purpose The reprogramming of cellular metabolism is a hallmark of cancer. The ability to noninvasively assay glucose and lactate concentrations in cancer cells would improve our understanding of the dynamic changes in metabolic activity accompanying tumor initiation, progression, and response to therapy. Unfortunately, common approaches for measuring these nutrient levels are invasive or interrupt cell growth. This study transfected FRET reporters quantifying glucose and lactate concentration into breast cancer cell lines to study nutrient dynamics and response to therapy. Procedures Two FRET reporters, one assaying glucose concentration and one assaying lactate concentration, were stably transfected into the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. Correlation between FRET measurements and ligand concentration were measured using a confocal microscope and a cell imaging plate reader. Longitudinal changes in glucose and lactate concentration were measured in response to treatment with CoCl2, cytochalasin B, and phloretin which, respectively, induce hypoxia, block glucose uptake, and block glucose and lactate transport. Results The FRET ratio from the glucose and lactate reporters increased with increasing concentration of the corresponding ligand (p < 0.005 and p < 0.05, respectively). The FRET ratio from both reporters was found to decrease over time for high initial concentrations of the ligand (p < 0.01). Significant differences in the FRET ratio corresponding to metabolic inhibition were found when cells were treated with glucose/lactate transporter inhibitors. Conclusions FRET reporters can track intracellular glucose and lactate dynamics in cancer cells, providing insight into tumor metabolism and response to therapy over time.

Automated summary

The study successfully transfected FRET reporters quantifying glucose and lactate concentration into breast cancer cell lines, allowing for tracking of nutrient dynamics and response to therapy. The FRET ratio from the reporters increased with ligand concentration and decreased over time for high initial concentrations, indicating the potential for monitoring metabolic changes in cancer cells.