Exploring the Caenorhabditis elegans lipidome in 4D

Introduction

Combining chromatography, trapped ion mobility, accurate mass and fragment information enables confident discovery and annotation of novel lipids in this key model organism.

Exploring the C. elegans lipidome in 4D

Caenorhabditis elegans, a small nematode, is an indispensable model organism in biomedical research. Despite its small size, C. elegans has a rich and diverse lipidome, which is still not fully understood. In addition to several known lipid classes, the C. elegans lipidome contains several unique lipid classes and lipid-like molecules such as glycerophospho-N-acyl ethanolamides (GPNAE) and sugar-based lipids such ascarosides.

Profiling the C. elegans lipidome with 4D-Lipidomics™, Dr. Witting and his team recently characterized multiple new lipid species from different lipid classes, notably GPNAE. GPNAE represent potential intermediates in the biosynthesis of N-acylethanolamides, which themselves are potent signaling molecules in the endocannabinoid system. Other examples include novel sphingolipids and derivates.

In this webinar, Dr. Witting will describe the structured approach his team employed to discover lipids and increase confidence in their annotation using library-free workflows. Specifically, he will discuss:

• Applying the MassQL query language within MetaboScape® to screen mass spectrometric data for novel lipids
• Integrating chromatographic (retention time, Rt) and trapped ion mobility (TIMS) information (collisional cross section, CCS) with MS data to increase annotation confidence for novel lipids
• Creating homologous series via extrapolation of m/z vs. Rt and CCS trends from validated features

You Will Learn

• How combining chromatographic, trapped ion mobility and mass spectrometric information enables researchers to connect novel lipids to biological functions
• How 4D-Lipidomics™ approaches facilitate library-free discovery workflows in C. elegans research and beyond
• How the new timsMetabo™ platform contributes to high-confidence lipidomics through enhanced sensitivity and improved transmission of characteristic, low-m/z MS/MS fragments

Who Should Attend

• Life science and translational researchers studying lipids and lipid-like molecules in model organisms and other biological matrices
• Lipidomics and metabolomics researchers looking for reliable and library-free workflows for small-molecule discovery
• Core facility managers curious about the latest developments in mass spectrometry and trapped ion mobility technology targeting small molecules

Speaker: PD Dr. Michael Witting (Deputy Head Metabolomics and Proteomics Core & Executive Manager Metabolomics, Helmholtz Munich, Munich, Germany)

PD Dr. Michael Witting is Co-Head of the Metabolomics and Proteomics Core at Helmholtz Munich, where he leads metabolomics and lipidomics activities and supports multiomics research. He is also a lecturer at the TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich.

His research and expertise center on metabolomics, lipidomics, and advanced mass spectrometry methods, including TIMS-enabled multidimensional analysis.

Host: Aiko Barsch (Director Application Developments Metabolomics/Lipidomics, Bruker, Bremen, Germany)