Issue 3, 2019

Recent advances in single-cell analysis by mass spectrometry

Abstract

Cells are the most basic structural units that play vital roles in the functioning of living organisms. Analysis of the chemical composition and content of a single cell plays a vital role in ensuring precise investigations of cellular metabolism, and is a crucial aspect of lipidomic and proteomic studies. In addition, structural knowledge provides a better understanding of cell behavior as well as the cellular and subcellular mechanisms. However, single-cell analysis can be very challenging due to the very small size of each cell as well as the large variety and extremely low concentrations of substances found in individual cells. On account of its high sensitivity and selectivity, mass spectrometry holds great promise as an effective technique for single-cell analysis. Numerous mass spectrometric techniques have been developed to elucidate the molecular profiles at the cellular level, including electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), laser-based mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In this review, the recent advances in single-cell analysis by mass spectrometry are summarized. The strategies of different ionization modes to achieve single-cell analysis are classified and discussed in detail.

Graphical abstract: Recent advances in single-cell analysis by mass spectrometry

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
28 jun 2018
Accepted
10 out 2018
First published
11 out 2018

Analyst, 2019,144, 824-845

Recent advances in single-cell analysis by mass spectrometry

L. Yin, Z. Zhang, Y. Liu, Y. Gao and J. Gu, Analyst, 2019, 144, 824 DOI: 10.1039/C8AN01190G

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