Volume 2019, Issue 1 8195614
Research Article
Open Access

Oxygen Regulates Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Metabolic Flux

Jarmon G. Lees

Jarmon G. Lees

School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, 11 Royal Parade, Parkville, 3010 VIC, Australia unimelb.edu.au

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Timothy S. Cliff

Timothy S. Cliff

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, 500 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA 30602, USA uga.edu

Centre for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, 500 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA 30602, USA uga.edu

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Amanda Gammilonghi

Amanda Gammilonghi

Nanobiotechnology Research Laboratory, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia rmit.edu.au

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James G. Ryall

James G. Ryall

Centre for Muscle Research, Department of Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia unimelb.edu.au

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Stephen Dalton

Stephen Dalton

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, 500 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA 30602, USA uga.edu

Centre for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, 500 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA 30602, USA uga.edu

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David K. Gardner

Corresponding Author

David K. Gardner

School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, 11 Royal Parade, Parkville, 3010 VIC, Australia unimelb.edu.au

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Alexandra J. Harvey

Alexandra J. Harvey

School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, 11 Royal Parade, Parkville, 3010 VIC, Australia unimelb.edu.au

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First published: 19 May 2019
Citations: 18
Academic Editor: Antonio C. Campos de Carvalho

Abstract

Metabolism has been shown to alter cell fate in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC). However, current understanding is almost exclusively based on work performed at 20% oxygen (air), with very few studies reporting on hPSC at physiological oxygen (5%). In this study, we integrated metabolic, transcriptomic, and epigenetic data to elucidate the impact of oxygen on hPSC. Using 13C-glucose labeling, we show that 5% oxygen increased the intracellular levels of glycolytic intermediates, glycogen, and the antioxidant response in hPSC. In contrast, 20% oxygen increased metabolite flux through the TCA cycle, activity of mitochondria, and ATP production. Acetylation of H3K9 and H3K27 was elevated at 5% oxygen while H3K27 trimethylation was decreased, conforming to a more open chromatin structure. RNA-seq analysis of 5% oxygen hPSC also indicated increases in glycolysis, lysine demethylases, and glucose-derived carbon metabolism, while increased methyltransferase and cell cycle activity was indicated at 20% oxygen. Our findings show that oxygen drives metabolite flux and specifies carbon fate in hPSC and, although the mechanism remains to be elucidated, oxygen was shown to alter methyltransferase and demethylase activity and the global epigenetic landscape.

Data Availability

The Gene Expression Omnibus accession number for the RNA-seq dataset reported in this paper is GSE117966.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.