Anatomical-Molecular Distribution of EphrinA1 in Infarcted Mouse Heart Using MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging

EphrinA1 is a tyrosine kinase receptor localized in the cellular membrane of healthy cardiomyocytes, the expression of which is lost upon myocardial infarction (MI). Intra-cardiac injection of the recombinant form of ephrinA1 (ephrinA1-Fc) at the time of ligation in mice has shown beneficial effects by reducing infarct size and myocardial necrosis post-MI. To date, immunohistochemistry and Western blotting comprise the only experimental approaches utilized to localize and quantify relative changes of ephrinA1 in sections and homogenates of whole left ventricle, respectively. Herein, we used matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) coupled with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI/TOF MS) to identify intact as well as tryptic fragments of ephrinA1 in healthy controls and acutely infarcted murine hearts. The purpose of the present study was 3-fold: (1) to spatially resolve the molecular distribution of endogenous ephrinA1, (2) to determine the anatomical expression profile of endogenous ephrinA1 after acute MI, and (3) to identify molecular targets of ephrinA1-Fc action post-MI. The tryptic fragments detected were identified as the ephrinA1-isoform with 38% and 34% sequence coverage and Mascot scores of 25 for the control and MI hearts, respectively. By using MALDI-MSI, we have been able to simultaneously measure the distribution and spatial localization of ephrinA1, as well as additional cardiac proteins, thus offering valuable information for the elucidation of molecular partners, mediators, and targets of ephrinA1 action in cardiac muscle. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.