Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Bruker Daltonics, Billerica, MA, USA.
Nat Commun. 2024 Jun 12;15(1):5036. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49384-w.
A technique capable of label-free detection, mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful tool for spatial investigation of native biomolecules in intact specimens. However, MSI has often been precluded from single-cell applications due to the spatial resolution limit set forth by the physical and instrumental constraints of the method. By taking advantage of the reversible interaction between the analytes and a superabsorbent hydrogel, we have developed a sample preparation and imaging workflow named Gel-Assisted Mass Spectrometry Imaging (GAMSI) to overcome the spatial resolution limits of modern mass spectrometers. With GAMSI, we show that the spatial resolution of MALDI-MSI can be enhanced ~3-6-fold to the sub-micrometer level without changing the existing mass spectrometry hardware or analysis pipeline. This approach will vastly enhance the accessibility of MSI-based spatial analysis at the cellular scale.
一种能够进行无标记检测的技术，即质谱成像（MSI），是一种用于在完整标本中对天然生物分子进行空间研究的强大工具。然而，由于该方法的物理和仪器限制所设定的空间分辨率限制，MSI 常常被排除在单细胞应用之外。通过利用分析物与超吸水性水凝胶之间的可逆相互作用，我们开发了一种名为凝胶辅助质谱成像（GAMSI）的样品制备和成像工作流程，以克服现代质谱仪的空间分辨率限制。通过 GAMSI，我们证明无需改变现有的质谱硬件或分析管道，就可以将 MALDI-MSI 的空间分辨率提高约 3-6 倍，达到亚微米级。这种方法将极大地提高基于 MSI 的细胞尺度空间分析的可及性。
