Schmitt Lab

Methionine is an essential amino acid, used to make proteins, provide substrates for methylation reactions, and maintain the cellular redox balance. However, how methionine is used in distinct cellular compartments and the real-time dynamics of methionine has remained unknown.

To illuminate methionine dynamics, we have developed a methionine optical reporter (Meteor). With Meteor, we can measure methionine dynamics with high spatial and temporal resolution. We find that exogenous methionine is taken up into multiple subcellular compartments, including the mitochondria. Furthermore, we used Meteor targeted to the cytoplasm or nucleus alongside pharmacological perturbation of methionine metabolism to uncover the spatiotemporal dynamics of methionine metabolism.

Furthermore, we expressed Meteor in C. elegans, and measured the dynamics of methionine in the gut of C. elegans during starvation and re-feeding.

Thus, for the first time, we can study the real-time dynamics of methionine, an essential amino acid. As many cancer cells are dependent on methionine, and methionine restriction is implicated in longevity, Meteor now enables more precise investigations into methionine metabolism in aging-associated diseases.