空间分辨代谢组学进展和挑战

空间分辨代谢组学即整合质谱成像和代谢组学技术,对动/植物组织和细胞中内/外源性代谢物的种类、含量和差异性空间分布进行精准测定。质谱成像技术因其具有无标记、非特异、高灵敏度、高化学覆盖、元素/分子同时检测等优势,被广泛应用于动/植物组织中各类代谢物、多肽和蛋白的时空分布研究。首先介绍了代谢组学和质谱成像技术的研究现状,然后重点综述了空间分辨代谢组学在动物组织、植物组织和单细胞水平上的前沿应用。最后展望了空间分辨代谢组学技术的现有瓶颈和未来发展方向。空间分辨代谢组学是继代谢组学之后又一门新兴的分子成像组学技术,能够无标记、可视化检测动物组织中外源性药物的吸收、分布、代谢和排泄,以及植物组织中多种代谢产物的生物合成、转运途径和积累规律。该技术将推动靶向药物发现、病理机制解析和动植物生长发育密切关联的空间代谢网络调控等前沿应用研究。

Spatially Resolved Metabolomics:Progress and Challenges

Spatially resolved metabolomics is developed by integrating mass spectrometry imaging(MSI)and metabolomics methods for accurate determination of types,contents,and spatial differentiation of endogenous and exogenous metabolites within plant and animal tissues.Benefiting from the unique features of label-free and non-specific detections,as well as high sensitivity,high chemical coverage,and simultaneous detection of elements and molecules,MSI has gained an increasing attention as a powerful tool in spatial and temporal visualization of various metabolites,peptides,and proteins.Herein,we introduce the current research status of metabolomics and MSI techniques,then focus on the emerging applications of spatially resolved metabolomics in plant and animal tissues,as well as at the single cell levels,and finally prospect the current bottlenecks and future developing trends in spatially resolved metabolomics.As an emerging molecular imaging-based omics technique,spatially resolved metabolomics is featured for its label-free and visualized detection of absorption,distribution,metabolism,and excretion of exogenous drugs in animal tissues,and provides insights into the biosynthesis,transport pathways,and accumulation of various metabolites in plant tissues.This technique facilitates further applications in the discovery of targeted drugs,understanding of pathological mechanisms,and a spatial metabolic network closely related to the growth and development of plants and animals.