Principles of Stable Isotope Research – with Special Reference to Protein Metabolism
Wilkinson, D.J.; Brook, M.S.; Smith, K.
Stable isotope tracer approaches are commonly employed in metabolic research to help better understand cellular processes and the impact metabolism has on health and disease. This review provides a historical account of stable isotope tracers (e.g., 1,2-13C2 L-Leu, 13C6 L-Phe, D2O), their MS-based methodologies, and the analytical applications they have been used to probe. Considerations for study design and results interpretation are provided, while a prognostic look into future applications within protein metabolism are also presented. Through use of latest generation technologies, advancing tracer methodologies have the potential to impact the physiological and clinical fields.