LC-MS and High-Throughput Data Processing Solutions for Lipid Metabolic Tracing Using Bioorthogonal Click Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Tracing lipid metabolism in mammalian cells presents a significant technological challenge due to the vast structural diversity of lipids involved in multiple metabolic routes. Bioorthogonal approaches based on click chemistry have revolutionized analytical performance in lipid tracing. When adapted for mass spectrometry (MS), they enable highly specific and sensitive analyses of lipid transformations at the lipidome scale. Here, we advance this approach by integrating liquid chromatography (LC) prior to MS detection and developing a software-assisted workflow for high-throughput data processing. LC separation resolved labeled and unmodified lipids, enabling qualitative and quantitative analysis of both lipidome fractions, as well as isomeric lipid species. Using synthetic standards and endogenously produced alkyne lipids, we characterized LC-MS behavior, including preferential adduct formation and the extent of in-source fragmentation. Specific fragmentation rules, derived from tandem MS experiments for 23 lipid subclasses, were implemented in Lipostar2 software for high-throughput annotation and quantification of labeled lipids. Applying this platform, we traced metabolic pathways of palmitic and oleic acid alkynes, revealing distinct lipid incorporation patterns and metabolic bottlenecks. Altogether, here we provide an integrated analytical and bioinformatics platform for high-throughput tracing of lipid metabolism using LC-MS workflow.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)e202501884
JournalAngewandte Chemie : a journal of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker ; International edition
Volume64
Issue number27
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC12207371
ORCID /0000-0002-4692-3885/work/200630956

Keywords

Keywords

  • Click Chemistry, Chromatography, Liquid, Lipids/chemistry, Lipid Metabolism, Alkynes/chemistry, High-Throughput Screening Assays, Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Humans, Mass Spectrometry, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry