Abstract

Oral Presentation: Single Step Capture and Metabolomics of Bacterial Outer Membrane Vesicles by Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Pallavi Lahiri, Research Scholar, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) are produced by many Gram –ve pathogens as specific fitness factors in virulence and pathogenesis. These nano-scale delivery vehicles contain discrete cargo of prokaryotic metabolites and lipids. Accumulating evidences indicate this cargo may be targeted at physiological sites far away from the infection foci and ensue profound pathologies. The mechanisms of these processes is largely unknown in part, due to limited information on OMV cargo and their functions. Using novel inert ceramic filters and Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry we describe a high throughput platform for capture and in situ un-targeted metabolomics of OMVs from the human opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The system accurately picked up several metabolites in clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa which demonstrated complex pathological consequences in vitro. The potential of this system in clinical translational research will be discussed.