High-sensitivity analysis of glycosphingolipids by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight imaging mass spectrometry on transfer membranes.
Glycosphingolipids are ubiquitous constituents of cells. Yet there is still room for improvement in the techniques for analyzing glycosphingolipids. Here we report our highly sensitive and convenient analytical technology with imaging mass spectrometry for detailed structural analysis of glycosphingolipids. We were able to determine detailed ceramide structures; i.e., both the sphingosine base and fatty acid, by MS/MS/MS analysis on a PVDF membrane with 10 pmol of GM1, with which only faint bands were visible by primuline staining. The limit of detection was approximately 1 pmol of GM1, which is lower than the value in the conventional reports (10 pmol).
Department of Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan.
Naoko
N
Goto-Inoue
Takahiro
T
Hayasaka
Yuki
Y
Sugiura
Takao
T
Taki
Yu-Teh
YT
Li
Mineo
M
Matsumoto
Mitsutoshi
M
Setou
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002417:Cattle; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*
D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D008567:Membranes, Artificial