TEMI: tissue-expansion mass-spectrometry imaging
The spatial distribution of diverse biomolecules in multicellular organisms is essential for their physiological functions. High-throughput in situ mapping of biomolecules is crucial for both basic and medical research, and requires high scanning speed, spatial resolution, and chemical sensitivity. Here we developed a tissue-expansion method compatible with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass-spectrometry imaging (TEMI). TEMI reaches single-cell spatial resolution without sacrificing voxel throughput and enables the profiling of hundreds of biomolecules, including lipids, metabolites, peptides (proteins), and N-glycans. Using TEMI, we mapped the spatial distribution of biomolecules across various mammalian tissues and uncovered metabolic heterogeneity in tumors. TEMI can be easily adapted and broadly applied in biological and medical research, to advance spatial multi-omics profiling.
Authors
- Amy Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6871-5238)
- Meng Carla Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5898-6007)
- Penghsuan Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5058-5399)
- Paul W. Tillberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2568-2365)
- Haiyan Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1277-4148)
- Hua Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2875-7243)
- Lingjun Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0056-3869)
- Xudong Shi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6469-3481)
- Lang Ding (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5365-9445)
Institutions
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- Janelia Research Campus (US)
- Wisconsin Division of Public Health (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Methods
- Published
- 2025-04-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-025-02664-9
- Citations
- 26
- Primary Topic
- Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 19.66
Funders
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center
- National Institutes of Health