Metabolomics regulation and its impact on cell differentiation.

Cellular metabolism has been gaining interest in developmental biology due to the observation that some cells utilize “atypical” forms of metabolism.  For example, aerobic glycolysis is commonly used in cancer cells, but also embryonic cells and undifferentiated cells.  A greater use of glycolysis relative to oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) is proposed to allow proliferative cells to produce the necessary products for DNA, protein, and membrane synthesis more efficiently.  However, accumulating evidence suggests that metabolic regulation extends beyond matching a cell’s biosynthetic demands and can directly influence cell differentiation. In the sea urchin embryo, cellular differentiation begins early, with the generation of micromeres during the fourth cell division.  Micromeres exhibit an array of qualities that distinguish them from non-micromere cells including distinct plasma membrane properties, Ca2+ fluctuations, cell cycle parameters, and gene expression patterns.  Many of these properties are known to be regulated by metabolic pathways in various cells and organisms, but there is little known about the metabolic character of these specialized cells.  We are beginning to explore how metabolic differences contribute to micromere formation and function using metabolomic and functional assays.