Profiling of Free Fatty Acids Using Stable Isotope Tagging Uncovers a Role for Saturated Fatty Acids in Neuroexocytosis

Abstract

Summary The phospholipase-catalyzed release of free fatty acids (FFAs) from phospholipids is implicated in many critical biological processes such as neurotransmission, inflammation, and cancer. However, determining the individual change in FFAs generated during these processes has remained challenging due to the limitations of current methods, and has hampered our understanding of these key mediators. Here, we developed an "iTRAQ"-like method for profiling FFAs by stable isotope tagging (FFAST), based on the differential labeling of the carboxyl group and designed to resolve analytical variance, through a multiplexed assay in cells and subcellular fractions. With nanomolar sensitivity, this..