University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Mass spectrometry-based investigations to characterize specific cell types within the brain

Knolhoff, Ann M.

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Knolhoff_Ann.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/26414

Description

Title
Mass spectrometry-based investigations to characterize specific cell types within the brain
Author(s)
Knolhoff, Ann M.
Issue Date
2011-08-26T15:34:58Z
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Sweedler, Jonathan V.
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Sweedler, Jonathan V.
Committee Member(s)
  • Bailey, Ryan C.
  • Gillette, Martha L.
  • Scheeline, Alexander
Department of Study
Chemistry
Discipline
Chemistry
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Date of Ingest
2011-08-26T15:34:58Z
Keyword(s)
  • mass spectrometry
  • single-cell analysis
  • glia
  • astrocytes
  • Aplysia californica
  • mast cells
  • metabolomics
  • metabolite profiling
  • transcriptomics
  • peptides
  • cell culture
Abstract
Investigations of the chemical content of the brain and its many constitutive cell types yield information regarding normal and abnormal brain function. Frequently, proteomics, peptidomics, and metabolomics experiments survey brain regions and attribute detected species to neurons. However, many other cell types are present, including astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. It is also known that different cell types can vary greatly in their analyte content and concentration; therefore, to obtain an adequate representation of brain function, specific cell types require further characterization. Cell types of particular interest are astrocytes, which are involved in neuronal communication, and mast cells, which are involved in allergic response. Moreover, morphologically similar cells can exhibit chemical heterogeneity; to characterize these differences, single-cell analyses are necessary. In this case, single cells from the model organism, Aplysia californica, are isolated for analysis. Mass spectrometry (MS) is well-suited for such applications because it has limits of detection in the attomole range for both small molecule metabolites and peptides, has a wide dynamic concentration range, and can detect and identify molecules of interest without a priori knowledge of sample content. To characterize metabolite profiles in single cells and tissue homogenates, a laboratory-built capillary electrophoresis (CE) system coupled to electrospray ionization (ESI) MS is implemented. This is a useful technique for such measurements because it only requires a small amount of sample (injection of nanoliter volumes), it can efficiently separate and detect hundreds of analytes within a single CE separation, and it has detection limits in the low nanomolar (attomole) range for several neurotransmitters. This technique has been successfully applied to characterize and chemically distinguish single cells of various neuron types from Aplysia californica. Here, hundreds of ions are detected within single-cell samples and 36 ions are identified. Furthermore, neuron-specific analytes are revealed, chemical classification of neurons is achieved via principal component analysis, and cellular concentrations of serine and glutamic acid are determined for the different neuron types. CE-ESI-MS has also been effective in determining relative chemical differences between different sample types. To determine the chemical contribution that mast cells make to the brain, tissue homogenates from mast cell-deficient mice are compared to their heterozygous littermates. In this comparison, a number of metabolites, including amino acids and choline, are statistically different between the two sample types; furthermore, this data agrees with differences observed in gene expression data. The combined metabolite and transcriptomics data reveal global chemical differences that affect a number of metabolic pathways, which may be related to behavioral and developmental traits observed in mast cell-deficient mice. The characterization of peptide content in astrocytes is also achieved by employing several instrumental platforms, such as CE-ESI-MS and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization MS. By carefully selecting defined samples, the identification of a large number of peptides from purified astrocyte samples is accomplished.
Graduation Semester
2011-08
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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/26414
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2011 Ann M. Knolhoff

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