Metallomics, elementomics, and analytical techniques

Abstract

Metallomics is an emerging and promising research field which has attracted more and more attention. However, the term itself might be restrictive. Therefore, the term "elementomics" is suggested to encompass the study of nonmetals as well. In this paper, the application of state-of-the-art analytical techniques with the capabilities of high-throughput quantification, distribution, speciation, identification, and structural characterization for metallomics and elementomics is critically reviewed. High-throughput quantification of multielements can be achieved by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and neutron activation analysis (NAA). High-throughput multielement distribution mapping can be performed by fluorescence-detecting techniques such as synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF), XRF tomography, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), proton-induced Xray emission (PIXE), laser ablation (LA)-ICP-MS, and ion-detecting-based, secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), while Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) and Raman microspectroscopy are excellent tools for molecular mapping. All the techniques for metallome and elementome structural characterization are generally low-throughput, such as X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), NMR, and small-angle X-ray spectroscopy (SAXS). If automation of arraying small samples, rapid data collection of multiple low-volume and -concentration samples together with data reduction and analysis are developed, high-throughput techniques will be available and in fact have partially been achieved.

Metallomics: The Science of Biometals and Biometalloids

“…Clearly, not all chemical elements occur in an ionic form, as they can also form covalent compounds as in the case of iodine or selenium, for example. It includes all the chemical elements (Li et al 2008). Since metal ions and non-metals are metabolites, the discipline has also been referred to as elemental metabolomics (Zhang et al 2017).…”

Is it possible to consider «kinetomics» and «argyromics» as novel trends of functional morphology and systems biology of parasitic and nonparasitic protozoa? a brief analytical review

“…A less trivial example is the relation between metallomics or microelementomics (Li, 2008) and an old Mallory method of lead and copper determination (Mallory, 1939), because to the best of our knowledge the methods of cellular metallomic and elementomic mapping have not yet been developed. A more intriguing example is the correlation between connectomics (Lichtman, 2008; Kennedy, 2010) and the topography of neurophanes (Neresheimer, 1903) and similar elements of the Protozoa body (as a simple example of the convergence or parallelism or pseudo-homology between Protozoa and Metazoa organizations), based on the semblances or propinquities of the Mallory staining results of the nervous media (Schümperli, 1977) and a neuromotor apparatus of Protozoa, as well as the relations between histomics or tissomics (Ecker, 2005; Kriete, 2006) of the synaptic neuromotor connections and the complexes of Metazoa and the neuromotor apparatus conjunctions or the branches of neurophanes, contacting with the myonems or spasmonems (Febvre, 1981).…”

Metallomics in environmental and health related research: Current status and perspectives

“…For quantitative determination of trace metals in biological systems, ICP-MS and atomic spectrometry techniques are the best choices. ICP-MS, featuring high sensitivity and wide linear dynamic range, allows robust, accurate and multielemental detection for most metallic and metalloid elements [38,61]. By coupling with a front-end chromatography separation system, an on-line analysis could be performed for identifying and quantifying metal binding proteins in solution.…”