Mass Spectrometry-Based Spatial Imaging of the Cochlea
-(1-naphthyl) ethylenediamine dihydrochloride (NEDC) matrix via sublimation. Optimized NEDC sublimation allowed high signal-to-noise, reduced delocalization, and salt tolerance, allowing acquisition of 5 μm-resolution imaging data on a MALDI-MSI instrument. Sublimation was found to be superior to spraying as a method for matrix application due to its higher signal-to-noise, particularly for lipids and fatty acids, and improved spatial resolution. Diverse metabolites and lipids were measured throughout the cochlear region, revealing distinct spatial distributions. Clustering identified reproducible physiological regions, including the otic capsule and spiral ducts. High spatial resolution imaging revealed distinct tissues, cell types, and molecular signatures within the cochlea. These findings establish the utility of high spatial resolution MALDI-MSI for auditory research, enabling molecular mapping of cochlear function and dysfunction.
Authors
- Alyson Black (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1847-4197)
- Tara R. Hawkinson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8743-5503)
- Cameron J. Shedlock (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4561-663X)
- Matthew S. Gentry (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5253-9049)
- Abigail K. Dragich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5181-3074)
- Derek B. Allison (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5119-2474)
- Roberto A. Ribas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9024-1292)
- Craig W. Vander Kooi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7463-3914)
- Harshitha Kota
- Gregory I. Frolenkov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9810-5024)
- Li Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9372-5606)
- R. Li-jiun Sun
- Scarlett I Caffee
- Franca Bucco Paolasso
- Qun Tang
- Xin Ma
- Borhane E. C. Ziani
Institutions
- Allen Institute for Brain Science (US)
- University of Kentucky (US)
- Markey Cancer Center (US)
- University of Florida (US)
- Department of Physics, Mathematics and Informatics (BY)
- Laboratoire des Biomolécules (FR)
- Himax (Taiwan) (TW)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
- Published
- 2026-04-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/jasms.5c00436
- Primary Topic
- Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- University of Florida
- National Institutes of Health