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Borges R, Colby SM, Das S, Edison AS, Fiehn O, Kind T, Lee J, Merrill AT, Merz KM, Metz TO, Nunez JR, Tantillo DJ, Wang LP, Wang S, Renslow RS. Quantum Chemistry Calculations for Metabolomics. Chem Rev 2021; 121:5633-5670. [PMID: 33979149 PMCID: PMC8161423 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
A primary goal of metabolomics studies is to fully characterize the small-molecule composition of complex biological and environmental samples. However, despite advances in analytical technologies over the past two decades, the majority of small molecules in complex samples are not readily identifiable due to the immense structural and chemical diversity present within the metabolome. Current gold-standard identification methods rely on reference libraries built using authentic chemical materials ("standards"), which are not available for most molecules. Computational quantum chemistry methods, which can be used to calculate chemical properties that are then measured by analytical platforms, offer an alternative route for building reference libraries, i.e., in silico libraries for "standards-free" identification. In this review, we cover the major roadblocks currently facing metabolomics and discuss applications where quantum chemistry calculations offer a solution. Several successful examples for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, ion mobility spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry methods are reviewed. Finally, we consider current best practices, sources of error, and provide an outlook for quantum chemistry calculations in metabolomics studies. We expect this review will inspire researchers in the field of small-molecule identification to accelerate adoption of in silico methods for generation of reference libraries and to add quantum chemistry calculations as another tool at their disposal to characterize complex samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo
M. Borges
- Walter
Mors Institute of Research on Natural Products, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil
| | - Sean M. Colby
- Biological
Science Division, Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Susanta Das
- Department
of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Arthur S. Edison
- Departments
of Genetics and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Complex Carbohydrate
Research Center and Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Oliver Fiehn
- West
Coast Metabolomics Center for Compound Identification, UC Davis Genome
Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Tobias Kind
- West
Coast Metabolomics Center for Compound Identification, UC Davis Genome
Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Jesi Lee
- West
Coast Metabolomics Center for Compound Identification, UC Davis Genome
Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Amy T. Merrill
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Kenneth M. Merz
- Department
of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Thomas O. Metz
- Biological
Science Division, Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Jamie R. Nunez
- Biological
Science Division, Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Dean J. Tantillo
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Lee-Ping Wang
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Shunyang Wang
- West
Coast Metabolomics Center for Compound Identification, UC Davis Genome
Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Ryan S. Renslow
- Biological
Science Division, Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
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