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Imaging mass spectrometry: A new technology for the analysis of protein expression in mammalian tissues

Nature Medicine volume 7, pages 493–496 (2001)Cite this article

The molecular specificity and sensitivity of mass spectrometry (MS) has been employed in a new technology for direct mapping and imaging of biomolecules present in tissue sections. This technology has been developed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization MS (MALDI MS)1 and has been initially targeted for the analysis of peptides and proteins present on or near the surface of tissue sections2. Imaging MS brings a new tool to bear on the problem of unraveling and understanding the molecular complexities of cells. It joins techniques such as immunochemistry and fluorescence microscopy for the study of the spatial arrangement of molecules within biological tissues. Many previous experiments using MS to image samples have focused on the measurement of the distribution of elements and small molecules in biological specimens, including tissue slices and individual cells3,4,5. An extensive review on imaging by MS can be found in the article by Pacholski and Winograd6.

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Figure 1: Methodology developed for the spatial analysis of tissue by MALDI mass spectrometry.
Figure 2: Mass spectrometric images of a mouse brain section.
Figure 3: Selected protein images from a glioblastoma section.
Figure 4: MALDI mass spectra taken at different locations within a glioblastoma slice (Fig. 3).
Figure 5: UV chromatogram of a LC separation on a glioblastoma xenograft extract.
Figure 6: The mass spectrometric analysis by electrospray MS/MS of the N-terminal tryptic fragment of Tβ.4.

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Acknowledgements

We thank S. Schroeter, E. Sierra-Rivera, B. DaGue and Darell Bigner for help with this study. This work was supported by NIH grants GM 58008 (to R.M.C.), CA 58506 (to D.H.) and C.A. 70937 (to D.H.).

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  1. Mass Spectrometry Research Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

    Markus Stoeckli, Pierre Chaurand, Dennis E. Hallahan & Richard M. Caprioli

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Correspondence to Richard M. Caprioli.

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Stoeckli, M., Chaurand, P., Hallahan, D. et al. Imaging mass spectrometry: A new technology for the analysis of protein expression in mammalian tissues. Nat Med 7, 493–496 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/86573

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