Issues with LC1-DDA

Hello,

I am experiencing issues when processing my LC-MS/MS data in MetaboAnalyst 6.0, specifically in the LC1+DDA
Experimental Setup

  • Instrument: Q Exactive (Thermo Scientific)
  • Acquisition Mode: DDA
  • Ionization: Both positive and negative modes in the same run
  • MS2 Parameters:
    • Resolution: 17,500
    • AGC Target: 1e5
    • Loop Count: 5
    • Isolation Window: 1 m/z
    • NCE: 20, 30, 40
    • Profile Mode (not centroided)

Data Processing Steps Taken:

  • Raw data were converted to mzML format using MSConvert, following the guidelines in the MetaboAnalyst 6.0 tutorial.

  • Metadata and sample files were properly prepared.

  • The dataset was uploaded using the MS1+DDA mode.

  • However, I encountered an error during the MSMS processing step.

I was wondering if the fact that my data were acquired in profile mode (not centroided) could be causing this issue. Should I reprocess my data in centroid mode before conversion?

Further Testing: LC-MS1 Only Analysis

Since the MSMS processing failed, I also tried to process the data using only LC-MS1 mode.

  • Unfortunately, the results were no features identified.
  • I tested all available Peak Picking Algorithms, but the results remained the same.
  • Additionally, there was almost no match with HMDB, which seems unusual.
  • Here a screeshot from the generated report

Questions:

  1. Could the profile mode acquisition be causing issues with MetaboAnalyst’s processing?
  2. Are there specific settings or preprocessing steps I should adjust to improve feature identification?
  3. Has anyone experienced similar issues when using DDA, or when trying to process MS1-only data?

Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance.
Best,
Giulia