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

波鸿鲁尔大学DFG研究生院微生物底物转换（GRK - MiCon）的成员想获得一台用于生物样品元素分析的三重四极icp -质谱仪。ICP-MS/MS系统将增加一项新功能，并将向生物与生物技术学院质谱中心的用户开放。GRK - MiCon的11位首席研究员和22位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都含有金属辅助因子。为了研究蛋白质及其辅助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来测定水溶液中生物样品的元素组成，其中一些溶液含有强酸或有机溶剂。需要对所有相关元素进行高灵敏度和高精度的测量，例如，通过比较金属含量和已知硫含量，使用少量样品来确定蛋白质的辅因子负载。它也将允许表征离子载体处理后，当离子载体的量是有限的细胞离子稳态。除了生物材料外，还将分析非生物材料的组成，例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。这些样品的元素组成可能是高度复杂和可变的。为了处理不同样品和基质中的干扰，需要一个三重四极ICP-MS，它可以消除氦碰撞（也可以用单四极杆仪器）和使用不同的反应气体（氧、氢、氨，只有在三重四极杆仪器中才可能）的干扰。中通量自动进样器将用于进样。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携带。快速半定量分析将为用户提供周期表中质量的公正概述，并将通过告知质量校准元素的选择和定量校准解决方案来支持定量方法的发展。它将进一步帮助设计策略，以实验解决潜在的干扰，并允许检测意想不到的分析物。该软件应提供半定量和定量结果的直观可视化，并支持当前表格格式的数据导出。

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.