Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization MALDI methods

Some solid materials are very intractable to analysis by standard methods and cannot be easily vaporized or dissolved in common solvents. Glass, bone, dried paint, and archaeological samples are common examples. These materials would now be examined by laser ablation, a technique that produces an aerosol of particulate matter. The laser can be used in its defocused mode for surface profiling or in its focused mode for depth profiling. Interestingly, lasers can be used to vaporize even thermally labile materials through use of the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) method variant. 

Surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization is a laser-induced ionization method developed in parallel to the more well-known matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) method. Using inorganic materials as energy-mediating media, it has been exploited as a possible alternative to MALDI, especially in small molecule detection (1—4). The most successful SALDI substrate was reported by Siuzdak and coworkers, in which a silicon surface of mesoporous features was used, commonly termed as... 

A connnon feature of all mass spectrometers is the need to generate ions. Over the years a variety of ion sources have been developed. The physical chemistry and chemical physics communities have generally worked on gaseous and/or relatively volatile samples and thus have relied extensively on the two traditional ionization methods, electron ionization (El) and photoionization (PI). Other ionization sources, developed principally for analytical work, have recently started to be used in physical chemistry research. These include fast-atom bombardment (FAB), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ES). 

The ablated vapors constitute an aerosol that can be examined using a secondary ionization source. Thus, passing the aerosol into a plasma torch provides an excellent means of ionization, and by such methods isotope patterns or ratios are readily measurable from otherwise intractable materials such as bone or ceramics. If the sample examined is dissolved as a solid solution in a matrix, the rapid expansion of the matrix, often an organic acid, covolatilizes the entrained sample. Proton transfer from the matrix occurs to give protonated molecular ions of the sample. Normally thermally unstable, polar biomolecules such as proteins give good yields of protonated ions. This is the basis of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI). 

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) is widely used for the detection of organic molecules. One of the limitations of the method is a strong matrix background in low-mass (up to 500-700 Da) range. In present work an alternative approach based on the application of rough matrix-less surfaces and known as surface-assisted laser desoi ption/ionization (SALDI), has been applied. 

With the identities and amounts of amino acids known, the peptide is sequenced to find out in what order the amino acids are linked together. Much peptide sequencing is now done by mass spectrometry, using either electrospray ionization (ESI) or matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) linked to a time-of-flight (TOF) mass analyzer, as described in Section 12.4. Also in common use is a chemical method of peptide sequencing called the Edman degradation. 

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) A method used for the ionization of high-molecular-weight compounds. In this approach, the analyte is crystallized with a solid matrix and then bombarded with a laser of a frequency which is absorbed by the matrix material. 

The focus of this chapter is the development of a technique often called wholecell matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) or whole-cell MALDI-TOF MS. Some groups prefer to use terms such as intact or unprocessed rather than whole, but the intended meaning is the same regardless of which word is used. As noted in the first chapter of this book, there are many different methods for the analysis of bacteria. However, for the analysis of intact or unprocessed bacteria, whole-cell MALDI-TOF MS is the most commonly used approach. This method is very rapid. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of whole cells takes only minutes because the samples can be analyzed directly after collection from a bacterial culture suspension. Direct MALDI MS analysis of fungi or viruses is similar in approach1,2 but is not covered in this chapter. MALDI-TOF MS of whole cells was developed with very rapid identification or differentiation of bacteria in mind. The name (whole cell) should not be taken to imply that the cells are literally intact or whole. Rather, it should be taken to mean that the cells that have not been treated or processed in any way specifically for the removal or isolation of any cellular components from any others. In whole-cell analysis the cells have been manipulated only as necessary to... 

It is therefore not surprising that the interest in PyMS as a typing tool diminished at the turn of the twenty-first century and hence why taxonomists have turned to MS-based methods that use soft ionization methods such as electrospray ionization (ESI-MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI MS). These methods generate information-rich spectra of metabolites and proteins, and because the molecular ion is seen, the potential for biomarker discovery is being realized. The analyses of ESI-MS and MALDI-MS data will still need chemometric methods, and it is hoped that researchers in these areas can look back and learn from the many PyMS studies where machine learning was absolutely necessary to turn the complex pyrolysis MS data into knowledge of bacterial identities. 

In a separate study, a protocol for Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) has been proposed.18 This IMS technique provides a new approach to visualize spatial distribution of thousands of molecular species, including peptides, proteins, and their metabolites in two- or three-dimensional levels. This approach may also provide a straightforward method of determining the tissue distribution of multiple peptides or proteins in a quantitative manner.18 Chu et al.19 reported a nondestructive molecular extraction method to obtain proteins from a single FFPE or frozen tissue section, without destroying the tissue morphology, such... 

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionization MALDI Photon induced desorption/ ionization Nonvolatile molecular ions Soft method Large molecules... 

Figure 2.9. Schematic of a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) event. The SEM micrograph depicts sinapinic acid-equine myoglobin crystal from a sample prepared according to the dried drop sample preparation method. In the desorption event neutral matrix molecules (M), positive matrix ions (M+), negative matrix ions (M-), neutral analyte molecules (N), positive analyte ions (+), and negative analyte ions (-) are created and/or transferred to the gas phase. Reprinted from A. Westman-Brinkmalm and G. Brinkmalm (2002). In Mass Spectrometry and Hyphenated Techniques in Neuropeptide Research, J. Silberring and R. Ekman (eds.) New York John Wiley Sons, 47-105. With permission of John Wiley Sons, Inc.

The method of ionization, as electrospray ionization, ESI (see Chapter 2, Section 2.1.15) tends to promote multiple ionization, which is not as frequent in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, MALDI (see Section 2.1.22) method. 

Analytes must be liberated from their associated solvent molecules as well as be ionized to allow mass separation. Several ionization methods enable ion production from the condensed phase and have been used for the coupling of CE to MS. Among them, atmospheric pressure ionization (API) methods, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) ionization are mainly used. API techniques are undoubtedly the most widespread ionization sources and cover different analyte polarity ranges. 

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