LSUHS MASS SPECTROMETRY CORE

MISSION

The mission of the LSUHS Mass Spectrometry (MS) Core facility is generally to provide researchers with advanced mass spectrometry technologies and expertise to support a wide range of scientific investigations. LSUHS has four LC-MS/MS systems, two GC-MS, and two HPLC-UV systems on campus. LSUHS MS core will support initiating pre-clinical and clinical projects and promote scientific investigators' utilization of this high-end equipment. Our core will provide common metabolomics and proteomics approaches and develop customized sample analysis for our users.  Our mission statements:

1. Support Research Excellence: Facilitate cutting-edge research by providing state-of-the-art mass spectrometry instrumentation and expert analytical services in LSUHS.
2. Innovate and Collaborate: Foster innovation through collaborations with researchers across various disciplines, including proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, and pharmacological sciences.
3. Enhance Training and Education: Offer training and educational opportunities to researchers, graduate students, and staff to enhance their knowledge and skills in mass spectrometry and related technologies.
4. Data Integrity and Quality: We will ensure high-quality, reproducible data through rigorous method development, validation, and adherence to best practices. We will also support the sharing of raw data into public databases, helping researchers meet NIH’s data management and sharing requirements.
5. Support NIH Application for LSUHS Investigators: The MS Core can support NIH grant applications by generating high-quality preliminary data.  We offer rigorous analytical methods by developing robust mass spectrometry workflows. Provide letters of support for NIH grant applications, highlighting the Core’s capabilities and track record in supporting successful NIH-funded projects.

The MS Core equipment is located in the Research core lab, pharmacology core lab, and CTX building. Using orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry, we offer both targeted and untargeted metabolomics for the metabolomics approach.  For protein analysis, our principal approach is bottom-up proteomics, which is a common method to identify proteins and characterize their amino acid sequences and post-translational modifications by proteolytic digest prior to analysis by mass spectrometry. In addition to the standard operating procedures that we have developed for many of our MS services, we also strive to continue to bring state-of-the-art mass spectrometry-based analyses through input and requests from our users.

USER GUIDELINES

The Mass Spectrometry Core was established to provide service to the complete biomedical community at LSUHS.

1. Core Facility Access: The MS Core is available to internal and external researchers. Internal users include faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and staff from the institution. External users may be from other universities, research institutes, or industry.
2. Project Submission: Before submitting samples, schedule a consultation with MS core director/staff to discuss project needs, including sample preparation, method development, analysis, and data interpretation. 
3. Guidelines for Sample Submission: Consult core staff for specific sample preparation protocols (e.g., for proteomics, metabolomics, or lipidomics). General sample requirements such as volume, concentration, and solvent should be followed.
4. Raw Data Collection and Data Processing: Upon completion of the analysis, users will receive raw data files. Processing services by core staff includes peak identification, quantification, and statistical analysis.
5. Fees and Billing: The MS Core operates fee-for-service. After project submission and consultation, a detailed quote will be provided. Charges depend on the type of analysis, instrument usage, and level of Core staff involvement. 
6. Publication and Acknowledgment: Researchers must acknowledge the MS Core facility in any publications. “We acknowledge the LSUHS Mass Spectrometry Core Facility for assistance with [specific service provided]supported by LSU Health Shreveport Foundation”. If MS core staff members have made a significant intellectual or time contribution to a project, we recommend being considered for co-authorship in related publications.

CORE PRICING

Targeted Metabolomics	$40/sample
Lipidomics	$75/sample
Untargeted Metabolomics	$150/sample
Other Analysis Platform	Contact Staff

SAMPLE SUBMISSION

Please contact Dr. Hugh Nam (hyung.nam@lsuhs.edu) to discuss feasibility and procedures.

 

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RECENT PUBLICATIONS 

Proteomics

1. Germany CE, Reker AN, Hinton DJ, Oliveros A, Shen X, Andres-Beck LG, Wininger KM, Trutschl M, Cvek U, Choi DS, Nam HW. Pharmacoproteomics Profile in Response to Acamprosate Treatment of an Alcoholism Animal Model. Proteomics. 18(7):e1700417, 2019
2. Nam HW, Grant CA, Jorgensen AN, Holtz-Heppelmann CJ, Trutschl M, Cvek U, Neurogranin regulates alcohol sensitivity through AKT pathway in the nucleus accumbens. Proteomics. 20(1): e1900266, 2020              
3. Jorgensen AN, Rashdan NA, Rao KNS, Delgadillo LF, Kolluru GK, Krzywanski DM, Pattillo CB, Kevil CG, Nam HW. Neurogranin expression regulates mitochondrial function and redox balance in endothelial cells. Redox Biol. 70:103085 ,2024

Metabolomics

1. Sreedhar A, Cassell T, Smith P, Lu D, Nam HW, Lane AN, Zhao Y. UCP2 Overexpression Redirects Glucose into Anabolic Metabolic Pathways. Proteomics, 19(4): e1800353, 2019
2. Nahar L, Grant CA, Hewett C, Cortes D, Reker AN, Kang S, Choi DS, Nam HW, Regulation of Pv-Specific Interneurons in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Reward-Seeking Behaviors, J Neurochem, 156(2):212-224, 2020
3. Abulseoud OA, Ross TJ, Nam HW, Caarelli EC, Tennekopon M, Schleyer B, Castillo J, Fedota J, Gu H, Yang Y, Stein E, Short-term nicotine deprivation alters dorsal anterior cingulate glutamate concentration and concomitant cingulate-cortical functional connectivity, Neuropsychopharmacology, 45(11):1920-1930, 2020
4. Kilgore PJM, Trutschl M, Cvek U, Nam HW, hSOM: Visualizing Self-Organizing Maps to Accommodate Categorical Data. Proceedings of the International Conference Information Visualisation (IV), IEEE Computer Society, 6:611-617, 2020 
5. Nahar L, Kaufman SE, Davis PG, Saunders SL, Disbrow EA, Patterson J, Nam HW, Blood Glutamine Synthetase Signaling in Alcohol Use Disorder and Racial Disparity, Transl Psychiatry, 12: 71, 2022
6. Trutschl M, Kilgore PJM, Trans B, Nam HW, Clifford E, Akande A, Cvek U, hSOM: VennSOM: A SOM-Assisted Visualization of Binary Data. Proceedings of the International Conference Information Visualisation (IV), pid138, 2022
7. Jamison CN, Cuevas-Ocampo AK, Flowers AB, Nam HW, Dayton RD, McKinney MP, Mitchell HG, Fitzgerald JS, Steib ME, Toups CR, McMartin KE. Histopathological evidence that diethylene glycol produces kidney and nervous system damage in rats. Neurotoxicology. 91:200-210. 2022

Lipidomics

1. Chandra M, Escalante-Alcaldeb D, Bhuiyan MS, Orr AW, Kevil C, Morrisd AJ, Nam HW, Dominic P, McCarthy KJ, Miriyala S, Panchatcharama M. Cardiac-specific inactivation of LPP3 in mice leads to myocardial dysfunction and heart failure. Redox Biology, 14:261-271, 2018
2. Chesnokova LS, Mosher BS, Fulkerson HL, Nam HW, Shakya AK, Yurochko AD. Distinct early role of PTEN regulation during HCMV infection of monocytes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 19;121(12):e231229012, 2024