Fourier transform mass spectrometry for metabolome analysis.
The metabolome is characterized by a large number of molecules exhibiting a high diversity of chemical structures and abundances, requiring complementary analytical platforms for extensive coverage. Of these analytical platforms, atmospheric pressure ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FT/MS) instruments are popular because they provide accurate mass measurements with ppm and even sub-ppm errors, and also high and ultra-high resolving power. In this article, we evaluate the improvements provided for metabolomics by different types of FT/MS instruments, together with the ability of these platforms to cover the various analytical requirements: global metabolite profiling, absolute quantification and also structural characterization, of metabolomics. The specificities of FT/MS in terms of data pre-processing and the input of accurate mass measurements for biological interpretation and for highlighting metabolic networks are also addressed.
Junot
C
C
Service de Pharmacologie et d'Immuno-analyse, DSV/iBiTec-S, CEA/Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France. christophe.junot@cea.fr
Madalinski
G
G
Tabet
J-C
JC
Ezan
Eric
E
D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D055442:Metabolome; D055432:Metabolomics / Q000379:methods*