Imaging the uptake of deuterated methionine in Drosophila with stimulated Raman scattering

Spencer J Spratt; Takaha Mizuguchi; Hikaru Akaboshi; Hina Kosakamoto; Rina Okada; Fumiaki Obata; Yasuyuki Ozeki

doi:10.3389/fchem.2023.1141920

Imaging the uptake of deuterated methionine in Drosophila with stimulated Raman scattering

Front Chem. 2023 Mar 29:11:1141920. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1141920. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Spencer J Spratt¹, Takaha Mizuguchi¹, Hikaru Akaboshi¹, Hina Kosakamoto², Rina Okada², Fumiaki Obata^{2

3}, Yasuyuki Ozeki¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
² Laboratory for Nutritional Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Japan.
³ Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology and Development, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

Abstract

Introduction: Visualizing small individual biomolecules at subcellular resolution in live cells and tissues can provide valuable insights into metabolic activity in heterogeneous cells, but is challenging. Methods: Here, we used stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy to image deuterated methionine (d-Met) incorporated into Drosophila tissues in vivo. Results: Our results demonstrate that SRS can detect a range of previously uncharacterized cell-to-cell differences in d-Met distribution within a tissue at the subcellular level. Discussion: These results demonstrate the potential of SRS microscopy for metabolic imaging of less abundant but important amino acids such as methionine in tissue.

Keywords: Drosophila; cell heterogeneity; deuterium; mTOR; metabolic tracing; methionine; stimulated Raman scattering.

Grants and funding

This work was supported in part by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI under JP20H02650, JP20H05725, JP20H05726, and JP21J00452; in part by Japan Science and Technology Agency Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST) under Grant JPMJCR 1872; in part by Nakatani Foundation Grant for Technology Development Research, and in part by Quantum Leap Flagship Program of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) under Grant JPMXS0118067246.