C Stable Isotope Tracing Reveals Distinct Fatty Acid Oxidation Pathways in Proliferative vs. Oxidative Cells.

The TCA cycle serves as a central hub to balance catabolic and anabolic needs of the cell, where carbon moieties can either contribute to oxidative metabolism or support biosynthetic reactions. This differential TCA cycle engagement for glucose-derived carbon has been extensively studied in cultured cells, but the fate of fatty acid (FA)-derived carbons is poorly understood. To fill the knowledge gap, we have developed a strategy to culture cells with long-chain FAs without altering cell viability.