title: Coupling thin-layer chromatography with vibrational cooling matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry for the analysis of ganglioside mixtures.
abstract: Thin-layer chromatography (TLC), which is widely used for separation of glycolipids, oligosaccharides, lipids, and compounds of environmental and pharmaceutical interest, can be readily coupled to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight mass spectrometers, but this arrangement usually compromises mass spectral resolution due to the irregularity of the TLC surface. However, TLC can be coupled to an external ion source MALDI-Fourier transform (FT) MS instrument without compromising mass accuracy and resolution of the spectra. Furthermore, when the FTMS has a vibrationally cooled MALDI ion source, fragile glycolipids can be desorbed from TLC plates without fragmentation, even to the point that desorption of intact molecules from "hot"matrixes such as alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid is possible. In this work, whole brain gangliosides are separated using TLC; the TLC plates are attached directly to the MALDI target, where the gangliosides are desorbed, ionized, and detected in the FTMS with >70 000 resolving power.
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry Resource, Cardiovascular Proteomics Center, and Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, 715 Albany Street R-806, Boston, Massachusetts 02118-2526, USA.
authors.forename: Vera B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Ivleva
authors.forename: Yuri N
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Elkin
authors.forename: Bogdan A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Budnik
authors.forename: Susanne C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Moyer
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Catherine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Costello
mesh_terms: D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer / Q000379:methods*; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012015:Reference Standards
chemical_list: D005732:Gangliosides