Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026
06:21
Imaging of Biological Tissues by Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry
Published on: July 12, 2013
Combed single DNA molecules imaged by secondary ion mass spectrometry
Armelle Cabin-Flaman1, Anne-Françoise Monnier, Yannick Coffinier
1Equipe Assemblages Moléculaires: Modélisation et Imagerie SIMS, Laboratoire MERCI EA 3829, Faculté des Sciences de l'Université de Rouen, Mont Saint Aignan, France.
Analytical Chemistry
|August 20, 2011
Summary
The Combing-Imaging by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (CIS) method enables high-resolution imaging of individual DNA fibers using nonradioactive isotopes. This technique allows for the detection and measurement of associated nucleic acid fragments on DNA molecules.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
- Biophysics
Background:
- Studying DNA replication, recombination, and rearrangements at the molecular level faces limitations in resolution and imaging-induced perturbations.
- Existing imaging techniques often struggle to provide sufficient detail without altering the DNA structure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate the Combing-Imaging by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (CIS) method for high-resolution DNA analysis.
- To overcome the limitations of current methods in visualizing and quantifying molecular events on individual DNA fibers.
Main Methods:
- Combining DNA combing, cesium flooding, and quantitative imaging using NanoSIMS 50.
- Utilizing different, nonradioactive isotopes to label individual DNA fibers.
- Applying secondary ion mass spectrometry for high-resolution, quantitative analysis.
Main Results:
- The CIS method achieves a resolution of 50 nm, enabling visualization of individual DNA fibers.
- Successfully detected and quantified nonradioactive isotopes on labeled DNA fibers.
- Demonstrated the ability to measure the length of short nucleic acid fragments associated with longer DNA fibers.
Conclusions:
- The CIS method offers a powerful new tool for studying DNA dynamics at the single-molecule level.
- Provides unprecedented resolution and quantitative capabilities for analyzing DNA replication, recombination, and rearrangements.
- Facilitates the detection of DNA structural variations and interactions with high precision.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:21Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Tandem mass spectrometry is a technique that uses multiple mass analyzers in series to obtain a higher selectivity and reduce chemical noise during analyte detection. Instruments with multiple analyzers separated by an interaction cell enable secondary fragmentation and selected study of the fragment ions.Secondary fragmentations occur in the interaction cell and can be induced by various factors. Fragmentation induced by collision with inert gases, such as N2, Ar, He, etc., is called...
01:33Peptide Identification Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Tandem mass spectrometry, also known as MS/MS or MS2, is an analytical technique that employs two mass analyzers. Essentially it is a series of mass spectrometers that helps isolate a particular biomolecule and then helps study its chemical properties.
This technique helps gather information regarding the protein from which the peptide was obtained and to study the peptides’ amino acid sequence. Identifying peptides from a complex mixture is an important component of the growing field of...
This technique helps gather information regarding the protein from which the peptide was obtained and to study the peptides’ amino acid sequence. Identifying peptides from a complex mixture is an important component of the growing field of...
01:12Electrospray Ionization (ESI) Mass Spectrometry
Higher molecular weight biomolecules are nonvolatile compounds that may decompose before ionizing or vaporizing during mass analysis with conventional electron impact ionization methods. Accordingly, electrospray ionization (ESI) is the favored method for vaporizing and ionizing biomolecules as it circumvents rapid fragmentation and enables the recording of mass signals for the entire biomolecule.
ESI utilizes electrical energy to transfer ions from the liquid phase of the sample into the...
ESI utilizes electrical energy to transfer ions from the liquid phase of the sample into the...
01:19MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is a powerful characterization technique that can identify and separate a wide variety of compounds ranging from chemical to biological entities, based on their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z). The instruments that allow this detection, known as mass spectrometers, have three components: an ion source, a mass analyzer, and a detector. These spectrometers differ based on the nature of their ion source and analyzers.Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) is a commonly...
01:15High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS)
The resolution of a mass spectrometer depends on the efficiency of separating ions with different ion masses. The mass of an atom is approximated to the sum of the masses of protons and neutrons inside, considering the masses of protons and neutrons as equal. However, the masses of the proton (1.6726 × 10−24 g) and neutron (1.6749 × 10−24 g) are not truly equal. There is a minor error in the expression of atomic masses relative to the simplest atom of hydrogen. For example, the mass of helium...
01:21Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis
Mass spectrometry is an important technique for the identification of pure compounds. However, it has some limitations for the analysis of complex mixtures, often due to excessive fragmentation making the spectrum too complicated to decipher. Mass spectrometry can be combined with suitable separation methods in sequence, forming hyphenated methods, which are useful in the analysis of complex mixtures.
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...