Special Report
Shorthand notation for lipid structures derived from mass spectrometry

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There is a need for a standardized, practical annotation for structures of lipid species derived from mass spectrometric approaches; i.e., for high-throughput data obtained from instruments operating in either high- or low-resolution modes. This proposal is based on common, officially accepted terms and builds upon the LIPID MAPS terminology. It aims to add defined levels of information below the LIPID MAPS nomenclature, as detailed chemical structures, including stereochemistry, are usually not automatically provided by mass spectrometric analysis. To this end, rules for lipid species annotation were developed that reflect the structural information derived from the analysis. For example, commonly used head group-specific analysis of glycerophospholipids (GP) by low-resolution instruments is neither capable of differentiating the fatty acids linked to the glycerol backbone nor able to define their bond type (ester, alkyl-, or alk-1-enyl-ether). This and other missing structural information is covered by the proposed shorthand notation presented here. Beyond GPs, we provide shorthand notation for fatty acids/acyls (FA), glycerolipids (GL), sphingolipids (SP), and sterols (ST). In summary, this defined shorthand nomenclature provides a standard methodology for reporting lipid species from mass spectrometric analysis and for constructing databases.

lipidomics
nomenclature
abbreviation
fatty acids
glycerolipids
glycerophospholipids
sphingolipids
sterols

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    Abbreviations:

    GL

    glycerolipid

    GP

    glycerophospholipid

    ILCNC

    International Lipid Classification and Nomenclature Committee

    LIMS

    laboratory information management system

    NL

    neutral loss

    PC

    phosphatidylcholine

    PE

    phosphatidylethanolamine

    PIS

    precursor ion scan

    SP

    sphingolipid

    ST

    sterol

This work was supported by the LipidomicNet project, funded within the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Union (Grant 202272) and by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (W.J.G. and M.J.O.W.).