Case Studies

Untangling the Lipidome

McLean Research Group - Vanderbilt University

Author(s)

Abstract

Customer Intro

Research in the McLean Group at Vanderbilt University focuses on the design, construction, and application of advanced technologies for structural mass spectrometry, in particular, for studies in biomolecular separations, biophysics, chemical and synthetic biology. Using multidimensional chemical separations centered around condensed-phase chromatography (GC, LC, SFC) combined with ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) to identify and structurally characterize the inventory of biomolecules arising from complex samples.

Problem

Lipids are biomolecules essential to the structure and function of living organisms. Isomeric species of lipids are prevalent, but their analysis is limited and features such as cis/trans and double bonds are unresolved with LC/MS alone.

Solution

MOBIE enables deeper characterization, revealing newly resolved features of lipids, many of them isobaric species.

Conclusions

Abstract

Results

Implementing MOBIE reveals newly resolved features of lipids, many of them isobaric species, and allows for the creation of a database of 92 calibrated lipid collision cross section (CCS)values that were highly reproducible (<0.5% RSD).
MOBIE is capable of resolving peaks with CCS values differing by~0.6%without the need for targeting a specific separation window or drift time.
Across the ~13-meter path length, all ions are transmitted within a drift time range of ~1.6 seconds, which is approximately three orders of magnitude faster than liquid chromatography.
Importantly, all ion species surveyed are separated under high resolution conditions(>200), demonstrating that this instrument is well-suited for broad band, HRIM separations important in global, untargeted applications