Single-cell mass spectrometry imaging of lipids in HeLa cells via tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionization
Abstract The development of analytical technology that allows investigation of the diversity of cells that form biological tissues based on molecular information is important to elucidate the heterogeneity of cells and pathological mechanisms. Here, we present a proof-of-concept demonstration of sin...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Communications Chemistry |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01521-2 |
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| author | Yoichi Otsuka Kazuya Kabayama Ayane Miura Masatomo Takahashi Kosuke Hata Yoshihiro Izumi Takeshi Bamba Koichi Fukase Michisato Toyoda |
| author_facet | Yoichi Otsuka Kazuya Kabayama Ayane Miura Masatomo Takahashi Kosuke Hata Yoshihiro Izumi Takeshi Bamba Koichi Fukase Michisato Toyoda |
| author_sort | Yoichi Otsuka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The development of analytical technology that allows investigation of the diversity of cells that form biological tissues based on molecular information is important to elucidate the heterogeneity of cells and pathological mechanisms. Here, we present a proof-of-concept demonstration of single-cell mass spectrometry imaging (SC-MSI) via tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionization (t-SPESI), which is an atmospheric-pressure sampling ionization technique. We developed a novel t-SPESI unit that can be used in combination with an inverted fluorescence microscope and basic technologies to extract components from microregions of cells and measure ions with high sensitivity. We performed multimodal (fluorescence, lipid ion, and topographic) imaging of two types of HeLa cells labeled with fluorescent dyes and chemically fixed and showed the potential for subcellular-scale analysis of both cell structure and chemical composition. Furthermore, we evaluated the lipid species by comparing the SC-MSI results with those of supercritical fluid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The technical advancement presented here is effective for distinguishing cell types based on the signal intensity of lipid ions in single cells and investigating differences in the subcellular localization of lipids in different types of cells. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e32427a142b54288ab6642e4e07bb91c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2399-3669 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Chemistry |
| spelling | doaj-art-e32427a142b54288ab6642e4e07bb91c2025-08-20T02:34:06ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Chemistry2399-36692025-05-018111210.1038/s42004-025-01521-2Single-cell mass spectrometry imaging of lipids in HeLa cells via tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionizationYoichi Otsuka0Kazuya Kabayama1Ayane Miura2Masatomo Takahashi3Kosuke Hata4Yoshihiro Izumi5Takeshi Bamba6Koichi Fukase7Michisato Toyoda8Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of OsakaDepartment of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of OsakaDepartment of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of OsakaDivision of Metabolomics, Medical Research Center for High Depth Omics, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu UniversityDivision of Metabolomics, Medical Research Center for High Depth Omics, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu UniversityDivision of Metabolomics, Medical Research Center for High Depth Omics, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu UniversityDivision of Metabolomics, Medical Research Center for High Depth Omics, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu UniversityDepartment of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of OsakaDepartment of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of OsakaAbstract The development of analytical technology that allows investigation of the diversity of cells that form biological tissues based on molecular information is important to elucidate the heterogeneity of cells and pathological mechanisms. Here, we present a proof-of-concept demonstration of single-cell mass spectrometry imaging (SC-MSI) via tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionization (t-SPESI), which is an atmospheric-pressure sampling ionization technique. We developed a novel t-SPESI unit that can be used in combination with an inverted fluorescence microscope and basic technologies to extract components from microregions of cells and measure ions with high sensitivity. We performed multimodal (fluorescence, lipid ion, and topographic) imaging of two types of HeLa cells labeled with fluorescent dyes and chemically fixed and showed the potential for subcellular-scale analysis of both cell structure and chemical composition. Furthermore, we evaluated the lipid species by comparing the SC-MSI results with those of supercritical fluid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The technical advancement presented here is effective for distinguishing cell types based on the signal intensity of lipid ions in single cells and investigating differences in the subcellular localization of lipids in different types of cells.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01521-2 |
| spellingShingle | Yoichi Otsuka Kazuya Kabayama Ayane Miura Masatomo Takahashi Kosuke Hata Yoshihiro Izumi Takeshi Bamba Koichi Fukase Michisato Toyoda Single-cell mass spectrometry imaging of lipids in HeLa cells via tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionization Communications Chemistry |
| title | Single-cell mass spectrometry imaging of lipids in HeLa cells via tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionization |
| title_full | Single-cell mass spectrometry imaging of lipids in HeLa cells via tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionization |
| title_fullStr | Single-cell mass spectrometry imaging of lipids in HeLa cells via tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Single-cell mass spectrometry imaging of lipids in HeLa cells via tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionization |
| title_short | Single-cell mass spectrometry imaging of lipids in HeLa cells via tapping-mode scanning probe electrospray ionization |
| title_sort | single cell mass spectrometry imaging of lipids in hela cells via tapping mode scanning probe electrospray ionization |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01521-2 |
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