Advanced Methods for MALDI-MS Imaging of the Chemical Communication in Microbial Communities.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) is increasingly used to visualize the chemical communication between microorganisms. However, to fully exploit the potential of this label-free technique, crucial methodological advances are still needed. In particular, with current microbial MALDI-MSI methods chemical coverage is strongly limited to well ionizing compounds and a safe MSI-compatible inactivation of microbial viability and quenching of metabolism is not possible.