Applications of mass spectrometry in metabolomic studies of animal model and invertebrate systems

Metabolomics provides rich datasets for systems biology. Massspectrometric (MS) techniques are rapidly gaining in importancefor untargeted metabolic profiling. In this review, we surveythe various techniques for sample preparation and analysis relatingto the various MS techniques and illustrate the potential ofthese techniques for both observing complete metabolomes anddetecting changes in the metabolism resulting from genetic mutationof other perturbations. The use of some of these techniquesin the study of model organisms including rodent and variousinvertebrate models is described. The invertebrate systems areof particular interest since such organisms have valuable mutantresources, such as RNAi panels directed against nearly all thegenes in the genome. The demonstration that they are readilycompatible with metabolomic approaches is particularly importantfor systems approaches to metabolic pathways.