Common and Differential Traits of the Membrane Lipidome of Colon Cancer Cell Lines and Their Secreted Vesicles: Impact on Studies Using Cell Lines

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the world. Despite the screening programs, its incidence in the population below the 50s is increasing. Therefore, new stratification protocols based on multiparametric approaches are highly needed. In this scenario, the lipidome is emerging as a powerful tool to classify tumors, including CRC, wherein it has proven to be highly sensitive to cell malignization. Hence, the possibility to describe the lipidome at the level of lipid species has renewed the interest to investigate the role of specific lipid species in pathologic mechanisms, being commercial cell lines, a model still heavily used for this purpose. Herein, we characterize the membrane lipidome of five commercial colon cell lines and their extracellular vesicles (EVs). The results demonstrate that both cell and EVs lipidome was able to segregate cells according to their malignancy. Furthermore, all CRC lines shared a specific and strikingly homogenous impact on ether lipid species. Finally, this study also cautions about the need of being aware of the singularities of each cell line at the level of lipid species. Altogether, this study firmly lays the groundwork of using the lipidome as a solid source of tumor biomarkers.

Fatty Acid Unsaturation Degree of Plasma Exosomes in Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Promising Biomarker

“…In addition, we observed a clear tendency in phosphatidylinositol (PI) decreasing in AD, Neo, and Her patients compared to healthy ones (14.9%, 10.5%, and 11.8%, respectively). These results are in line with the literature [48] and in agreement with our previous study in CRC cell lines [43].…”

“…The analysis of commercial cell line-derived EVs showed that the lipid composition of these vesicles is very sensitive to their origin [ 43 ]. Thus, we sought to establish whether this discriminatory potential would persist in a more complex biological matrix and context: plasma and patients.…”

“…In fact, there is a growing interest in establishing EV lipid composition as evidence that lipids play specific roles in EV physiology [ 68 ]. Taking into account all this evidence, together with our previous results showing that the EV lipidome do retain certain features at the compositional level of the cell origin [ 43 ], we explored the feasibility of plasma-derived EV lipidome to identify clinical biomarkers in patients at different stages of CRC.…”

“…In previous studies, we characterized the membrane lipidome of five commercial colon cell lines and their extracellular vesicles, demonstrating that both cell and EV lipidome was able to classify cells according to their malignancy [ 43 ]. These results prompted us to investigate the use of the lipidome of EVs derived from biological fluids as a source of non-invasive biomarkers for cancer.…”

A UHPLC-Mass Spectrometry View of Human Melanocytic Cells Uncovers Potential Lipid Biomarkers of Melanoma

“…The intensity of lipid species eliciting opposing trends in the experimental groups is exemplified by the ethyl ethers PC O-16:0/16:0 and PC O-16:0/18:1, which are expressed more strongly in malignant cells ( Figure S2A ), and by SM d18:1/16:0 and PE P-18:0/22:4, that were particularly abundant in melanocytes ( Figure S2B ). Figure S2 also provides clear examples of the heterogeneity in lipid expression across the cell lines analyzed, which were used to model a condition, as also seen for colon cancer cell lines [ 33 ].…”