Three-dimensional visualization of protein expression in mouse brain structures using imaging mass spectrometry

We have developed a method to visualize matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI IMS) data aligned with optically determinable tissue structures in three dimensions. Details of the methodology are exemplified using the 3-D reconstruction of myelin basic protein (MBP) in the corpus callosum of a mouse brain. In this procedure, optical images obtained from serial coronal sections are first aligned to each other to reconstruct a surface of the corpus callosum from segmented contours of the aligned images. The MALDI IMS data are then coregistered to the optical images and superimposed into the surface to create the final 3-D visualization. Correlating proteomic data with anatomical structures provides a more comprehensive understanding of healthy and pathological brain functions, and holds promise to be utilized in more complex anatomical arrangements.