title: Histomolecular interpretation of pleomorphic adenomas of the salivary gland by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization imaging and spatial segmentation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite efforts in localization of key proteins using immunohistochemistry, the complex proteomic composition of pleomorphic adenomas has not yet been characterized. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI imaging) allows label-free and spatially resolved detection of hundreds of proteins directly from tissue sections and of histomorphological regions by finding colocalized molecular signals. Spatial segmentation of MALDI imaging data is an algorithmic method for finding regions of similar proteomic composition as functionally similar regions.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated 2 pleomorphic adenomas by applying spatial segmentation to the MALDI imaging data of tissue sections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The spatial segmentation subdivided the tissue in a good accordance with the tissue histology. Numerous molecular signals colocalized with histologically defined tissue regions were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study highlights the cellular transdifferentiation within the pleomorphic adenoma. It could be shown that spatial segmentation of MALDI imaging data is a promising approach in the emerging field of digital histological analysis and characterization of tumors.
authors.affiliation: Core Unit Chip Application, Institute of Physical Chemistry and Institute of Human Genetics, Friedrich Schiller University and Jena University Hospital, Germany.
authors.forename: Günther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Germany.
authors.forename: Orlando
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Guntinas-Lichius
authors.affiliation: MALDI Imaging Lab, Department of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hauberg-Lotte
authors.affiliation: SCiLS GmbH, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trede
authors.affiliation: Bruker Daltonik GmbH, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: MALDI Imaging Lab, Department of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Germany.|SCiLS GmbH, Bremen, Germany.|Center for Industrial Mathematics, University of Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Theodore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alexandrov
authors.affiliation: Core Unit Chip Application, Institute of Physical Chemistry and Institute of Human Genetics, Friedrich Schiller University and Jena University Hospital, Germany.|Jena Center for Soft Matter, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Ferdinand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: von Eggeling
mesh_terms: D008949:Adenoma, Pleomorphic / Q000473:pathology*; D054338:Cell Transdifferentiation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D040901:Proteomics; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000473:pathology*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*
keywords: digital histology; matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry; pleomorphic adenoma; salivary gland