Triple-quadrupole ICP-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS/MS) for element analysis of biological samples

德国鲁尔大学波鸿DFG研究生院微生物基质转化（GRK - MiCon）的成员希望获得一台用于生物样品元素分析的三重四极杆ICP质谱仪。ICP-MS/MS系统将增加一个新的功能，并将在生物和生物技术学院的质谱中心的用户访问。GRK-MiCon的11名主要研究人员和22名博士候选人研究微生物酶和酶复合物的底物转化。许多感兴趣的蛋白质含有金属辅因子。为了研究蛋白质及其辅因子以及微生物天然产物（离子载体、铁载体）的生物学功能，需要ICP-MS/MS，其允许测定水溶液中生物样品的元素组成，其中一些水溶液含有强酸或有机溶剂。需要所有相关元素的测量的高灵敏度和精确度，例如，通过比较金属含量和已知的硫含量，使用少量样品确定蛋白质的辅因子负载。当离子载体量有限时，它还将允许表征离子载体治疗后的细胞离子稳态。除了生物材料外，还将分析非生物材料的组成，如培养基或土壤提取物，以表征微生物和植物的（自然）栖息地。这种样品的元素组成可能具有高度复杂性和可变性。为了解决不同样品和基质中的干扰，需要三重四极杆ICP-MS，该ICP-MS允许通过氦碰撞（也可以使用单四极杆仪器）和使用不同的反应气体（氧气、氢气、氨，仅可以在三重四极杆仪器中）来消除干扰。将使用中等通量自动进样器进行样品进样。低表面相互作用和有效的清洗程序将最大限度地减少样品残留。快速半定量分析将为用户提供周期表中质量的无偏差概述，并通过告知质量校准元素和定量校准溶液的选择来支持定量方法的开发。它将进一步帮助设计策略，以实验方式解决潜在的干扰，并允许检测意外的分析物。软件应提供半定量和定量结果的直观可视化，并支持以当前表格格式导出数据。

The members of the DFG graduate school Microbial Substrate Conversion (GRK - MiCon) at Ruhr University Bochum want to obtain a triple-quadrupole ICP-mass spectrometer for the element analysis of biological samples. The ICP-MS/MS system will add a new functionality and will be accessible to users in the mass spectrometry center of the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology. Eleven principal investigators and 22 doctoral candidates of the GRK - MiCon study substrate conversion of microbial enzymes and enzyme complexes. Many of the proteins of interest contain metal cofactors. To study the proteins and their cofactors as well as the biological function of microbial natural products (ionophores, siderophores) an ICP-MS/MS is needed that allows the determination of the element composition of biological samples in aqueous solutions, some of which contain strong acids or organic solvents. High sensitivity and precision of the measurements of all relevant elements is needed, e.g., to determine the cofactor loading of proteins using small amounts of a sample by comparing metal content and known sulfur content. It will also allow to characterize cellular ion homeostasis after ionophore treatment when ionophore amounts are limited. In addition to biological materials, the composition of abiotic materials, such as cultivation media or soil extracts, will be analyzed to characterize the (natural) habitats of microbes and plants. The element composition of such samples can be of high complexity and variable. To address the interferences in different samples and matrices, a triple-quadrupole ICP-MS is needed that allows the elimination of interferences by helium collision (also possible with single-quadrupole instruments) and the use of different reaction gases (oxygen, hydrogen, ammonia, only possible in triple-quadrupole instruments). A medium throughput autosampler will be used for sample injection. Low surface interaction and effective wash routines will minimize sample carryover. A rapid semiquantitative analysis will provide the user with an unbiased overview of the masses across the periodic table and will support the development of quantitative methods by informing the choice of elements for mass calibration and calibration solutions for quantitation. It will further help devise strategies to experimentally address potential interferences and allows the detection of unexpected analytes. The software should provide intuitive visualization of semiquantitative and quantitative results and support data export in current table formats.