Mass spectrometry imaging identifies palmitoylcarnitine as an immunological mediator during Salmonella Typhimurium infection

What is it about?

Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI) is a relatively new technique that allows label-free imaging of tissue removing the need for tags or any prior knowledge of tissue to be imaged. Using MSI we mapped hundreds of compounds mediating the complex host-pathogen interactions during Salmonella infection and identified a single host-derived compound that altered the response to Salmonella in the lymph nodes, a key site for resolving infection.

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Why is it important?

Our findings show that Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI) can be used to identify novel mediators of host-pathogen interactions. The spatial resolution offered by MSI allows the significance of specific compounds to be studied in detail by using complementary techniques to map the presence or absence of bacteria and immune cells where compounds of interest are found.