GSL Structure Analysis by MALDI-TOF-MS
What Are Glycosphingolipids (GSLs)?
GSLs are lipid substances that are linked with carbohydrates resulting in the formation of plasma membrane lipid rafts. These substances come in many varieties and have a wide variety of functions in living organisms. They play a key role in membrane physical properties and specific recognition sites for many organismal events. In addition, GSLs take part in the pathogenic mechanism of miscellaneous diseases. As a consequence, it is crucial to analyze and characterize the structure of GSLs by various techniques. Consequently, more and more techniques are developed and applied for GSL structure analysis.
Fig.1 The structure of GSL. (CD BioGlyco)
GSL Structure Analysis Based on MALDI-TOF-MS at CD BioGlyco
CD BioGlyco utilizes the MALDI-TOF-MS technique for GSL structure analysis. MALDI, a technique based on soft ionization, is useful for MS that leads to effective and fast ionization of diverse molecules. MALDI absorbs matrix to produce ions from molecules having molecular weights ranging from hundreds to thousands of daltons by using laser energy. It becomes more and more popular to be applied for the analysis of biomolecules, such as deoxyribonucleic acids, proteins, peptides, and polysaccharides. MALDI also is useful for the analysis of some organic molecules, such as polymers and dendrimers. These fragile molecules are easy to excessive break down if ionized by more conventional methods. The kind of MS most extensively used with MALDI is TOF because of its wide mass range.
At CD BioGlyco, the sample for analysis by MALDI-TOF-MS needs to blend with the solution of an energy-absorbent, organic compound called a matrix. Then the sample is crystallized that is surrounded by a drying matrix. The sample is ionized by a laser beam in the way of automated mode and then is disintegrated to produce singly protonated ions. Under the fixed potential, the ions generated from the sample are separate from each other according to their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z). Then TOF is used to detect and measure the charged analytes. The detailed workflow of MALDI-TOF-MS is shown in the following figure.
Fig.2 The workflow of MALDI-TOF-MS. (CD BioGlyco)
Advantages of Us
- Our experimental steps are relatively simple.
- Our experimental data is very reliable.
- The cost of consumables is low.
- The process of soft ionization allows the observation of ionized molecules with less analyte fragmentation.
CD BioGlyco insists on the innovation of the GSL analytical methods. We also provide clients with diverse Carbohydrate Separation, Purification and Analysis solutions to meet their specific needs of clients. Please contact us directly for more details if you need scientific assistance.
Reference
- Singhal, N.; et al. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry: an emerging technology for microbial identification and diagnosis. Frontiers in microbiology. 2015, 6: 791.
