Instrumentation and software for mass spectrometry imaging--making the most of what you've got.

Whilst it might be desirable to be able to purchase an up to date mass spectrometry platform and dedicate it to mass spectrometry imaging, this is not the situation initially for many laboratories. There are a variety of methods by which existing mass spectrometers can be upgraded/adapted to perform mass spectrometry imaging using MALDI, DESI or LAESI as the means of generating ions. The focus of this article is on relatively low cost adaptations of existing instrumentation with suggestions made for performance enhancements where appropriate. A brief description of attempts to perform SIMS imaging on quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometers is also given. The required software is described with particular emphasis on freeware packages which can be used to display/enhance data. Requirements for data pre-processing prior or statistical analysis are discussed along with the use of MATLAB® for the analysis itself.

Redox proteomics in selected neurodegenerative disorders: from its infancy to future applications.

Several studies demonstrated that oxidative damage is a characteristic feature of many neurodegenerative diseases. The accumulation of oxidatively modified proteins may disrupt cellular functions by affecting protein expression, protein turnover, cell signaling, and induction of apoptosis and necrosis, suggesting that protein oxidation could have both physiological and pathological significance. For nearly two decades, our laboratory focused particular attention on studying oxidative damage of proteins and how their chemical modifications induced by reactive oxygen species/reactive nitrogen species correlate with pathology, biochemical alterations, and clinical presentations of Alzheimer's disease. This comprehensive article outlines basic knowledge of oxidative modification of proteins and lipids, followed by the principles of redox proteomics analysis, which also involve recent advances of mass spectrometry technology, and its application to selected age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Redox proteomics results obtained in different diseases and animal models thereof may provide new insights into the main mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and progression of oxidative-stress-related neurodegenerative disorders. Redox proteomics can be considered a multifaceted approach that has the potential to provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of a disease, to find disease markers, as well as to identify potential targets for drug therapy. Considering the importance of a better understanding of the cause/effect of protein dysfunction in the pathogenesis and progression of neurodegenerative disorders, this article provides an overview of the intrinsic power of the redox proteomics approach together with the most significant results obtained by our laboratory and others during almost 10 years of research on neurodegenerative disorders since we initiated the field of redox proteomics.