Reshaping Lipid Biochemistry by Pushing Barriers in Structural Lipidomics

Lipidomics: Recent advances in mass‐spectrometry‐based lipidomics provide a route towards the characterization, quantitation, and imaging of structurally defined lipid species and their dynamic conversions within tissues and cells. This opens the door for lipidomics studies at the molecular level, where even subtle changes in lipid molecular structures and concentrations can be unambiguously observed.

Abstract

Lipidomics is a rapidly growing field with numerous examples showing the importance of lipid molecules throughout biology. It has also shed light onto the vast and complex functions performed by many lipids that possess an immense diversity in molecular structures. Mass spectrometry (MS) is the tool of choice for analyzing lipids and has been the key catalyst driving the field forward. However, MS does not yet permit true molecular lipidomics wherein the identification and quantification of lipids having defined molecular structures can be routinely achieved. Here we describe recent advances in MS‐based lipidomics that allow access to higher levels of molecular information in lipidomics experiments. These advances will form a key piece of the puzzle as the field moves towards systems characterization of lipids at the molecular level.

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