Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #156931
Title: SELDI-TOF MS PROFILING OF RAT PLASMA: A NOVEL TOOL FOR BIOMARKER DISCOVERY IN NUTRITION RESEARCH

Author
item Linke, Thomas
item ROSS, CATHERINE - PA ST UNIV, UNIV. PARK
item Harrison, Earl

Submitted to: Journal of Chromatography
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2004
Publication Date: 7/16/2004
Citation: Linke, T., Ross, C., Harrison, E.H. 2004. Seldi-tof MS profiling of rat plasma: a novel tool for biomarker discovery in nutrition research. Journal of Chromatography. 1043:65-71.

Interpretive Summary: High-throughput applied genomics technologies like transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics are now available to nutrition researchers. These new screening tools are likely to play a major role in the selection of new and accurate biomarkers that are urgently needed for predicting the outcomes of food based interventions, given the importance being placed on ingredients in foods contributing to disease prevention and optimal health promotion. The analysis of plasma samples by surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) was investigated as a novel approach to the identification of new biomarkers of nutrient status. The feasibility of this approach was tested with samples from retinol-sufficient and retinol-deficient rats. The comparative analysis revealed reduced levels of three proteins with molecular masses between 10,000 and 20,000 in plasma of retinol-deficient rats. This approach quickly identified those peptides and proteins in plasma whose expression changed in response to vitamin A status. This research will be of benefit to nutritional biochemists who are searching for new biomarkers of nutritional status and ultimately to applied human nutritionists who assess nutrient status in humans.

Technical Abstract: The recent development of high-throughput proteomic technologies has given us new methods to analyze how an organism responds to changes in its nutritional environment. The analysis of plasma samples by surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) was investigated as a novel approach to the identification of new biomarkers of nutrient status. Pre-fractionation of rat plasma by anion exchange chromatography in 96-well filter plates markedly increased the total number of unique peptides and proteins that could be observed in SELDI-TOF mass spectra. Replicate fractionations generated nearly identical pH fractions, not only in terms of peptide and protein composition but also in respect to the ion signal intensity of replicate SELDI-TOF mass spectra. The feasibility of this approach was tested with samples from retinol-sufficient and retinol-deficient rats. The comparative analysis revealed reduced levels of three proteins with molecular masses between 10,000 and 20,000 in plasma of retinol-deficient rats. These results demonstrate that plasma profiling by anion exchange fractionation and SELDI-TOF MS may be a promising surveillance tool to detect changes in nutritional status and whole body physiology.