microbeMASST: A Taxonomically-informed Mass Spectrometry Search Tool for Microbial Metabolomics Data

microbeMASST, a taxonomically informed mass spectrometry (MS) search tool, tackles limited microbial metabolite annotation in untargeted metabolomics experiments. Leveraging a curated database of >60,000 microbial monocultures, users can search known and unknown MS/MS spectra and link them to their respective microbial producers via MS/MS fragmentation patterns. Identification of microbe-derived metabolites and relative producers without a priori knowledge will vastly enhance the understanding of microorganisms’ role in ecology and human health

A Taxonomically-informed Mass Spectrometry Search Tool for Microbial Metabolomics Data

MicrobeMASST, a taxonomically-informed mass spectrometry (MS) search tool, tackles limited microbial metabolite annotation in untargeted metabolomics experiments. Leveraging a curated database of >60,000 microbial monocultures, users can search known and unknown MS/MS spectra and link them to their respective microbial producers via MS/MS fragmentation patterns. Identification of microbial-derived metabolites and relative producers, without a priori knowledge, will vastly enhance the understanding of microorganisms’ role in ecology and human health

Preclinical studies on metal based anticancer drugs as enabled by integrated metallomics and metabolomics

Resistance development is a major obstacle for platinum-based chemotherapy, with the anticancer drug oxaliplatin being no exception. Acquired resistance is often associated with altered drug accumulation. In this work we introduce a novel -omics workflow enabling the parallel study of platinum drug uptake and its distribution between nucleus/protein and small molecule fraction along with metabolic changes after different treatment time points. This integrated metallomics/metabolomics approach is facilitated by a tailored sample preparation workflow suitable for preclinical studies on adherent cancer cell models. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry monitors the platinum drug, while the metabolomics tool-set is provided by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography combined with high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry. The implemented method covers biochemical key pathways of cancer cell metabolism as shown by a panel of >130 metabolite standards. Furthermore, the addition of yeast-based 13C-enriched internal standards upon extraction enabled a novel targeted/untargeted analysis strategy. In this study we used our method to compare an oxaliplatin sensitive human colon cancer cell line (HCT116) and its corresponding resistant model. In the acquired oxaliplatin resistant cells distinct differences in oxaliplatin accumulation correlated with differences in metabolomic rearrangements. Using this multi-omics approach for platinum-treated samples facilitates the generation of novel hypotheses regarding the susceptibility and resistance towards oxaliplatin

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Statistical Analysis of Feature-based Molecular Networks from Non-Targeted Metabolomics Data

Feature-Based Molecular Networking (FBMN) is a popular analysis approach for LC-MS/MS-based non-targeted metabolomics data. While processing LC-MS/MS data through FBMN is fairly streamlined, downstream data handling and statistical interrogation is often a key bottleneck. Especially, users new to statistical analysis struggle to effectively handle and analyze complex data matrices. In this protocol, we provide a comprehensive guide for the statistical analysis of FBMN results. We explain the data structure and principles of data clean-up and normalization, as well as uni- and multivariate statistical analysis of FBMN results. We provide explanations and code in two scripting languages (R and Python) as well as the QIIME2 framework for all protocol steps, from data clean-up to statistical analysis. Additionally, the protocol is accompanied by a web application with a graphical user interface (https://fbmn-statsguide.gnps2.org/), to lower the barrier of entry for new users. Together, the protocol, code, and web app provide a complete guide and toolbox for FBMN data integration, clean-up, and advanced statistical analysis, enabling new users to uncover molecular insights from their non-targeted metabolomics data. Our protocol is tailored for the seamless analysis of FBMN results from Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS and GNPS2) and can be adapted to other MS feature detection, annotation, and networking tools