Imaging of Cultured Cells by Mass Spectrometry

Establishment of an Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) experimental procedure for cultured cells is an important issue because it provides information on localization of various types of biomolecules inside the cell. At present, how to prepare the samples from cultured cells for an IMS has been under study. In this section, we present the preparation method for IMS analysis of mouse superior cervical ganglion (SCG) explant culture, containing many sympathetic neurons. The SCG explant culture is much larger than a single cell and neurons are highly polarized cells, allowing the comparison of the distinct compartment of the cells by IMS. The quick freeze-dry method was applied for the fixation of the neurons, and distinct distributions of small metabolites in the neurons were successfully visualized. We found that molecular composition was remarkably different between the cell body-containing region and the axon-enriched region.