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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fayetteville, Arkansas » Poultry Production and Product Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #320591
Title: Chicken egg shell membrane associated proteins and peptides

Author
item MAKKAR, SARBJEET - University Of Arkansas
item LIYANAGE, ROHANA - University Of Arkansas
item KANNAN, LAKSHMI - University Of Arkansas
item PACKIALAKSHMI, BALAMURUGAN - University Of Arkansas
item LAY, JACKSON - University Of Arkansas
item Rath, Narayan

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/20/2015
Publication Date: 11/11/2015
Citation: Makkar, S., Liyanage, R., Kannan, L., Packialakshmi, B., Lay, J., Rath, N.C. 2015. Chicken egg shell membrane associated proteins and peptides. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 63(44):9888-9898.

Interpretive Summary: Egg shells are by products of poultry industry which consist of calceneous uppershells covering thin membranes inside. These membranes show potential for use as nutritional supplements. To understand their protein constituents we extracted these membranes and found many important proteins and peptides that protect the egg against pathogen invasion, environmental stress, fall damage, and participate in cellular processes that may help embryo development. We believe these proteins provided as nutritional supplements may improve poultry health and immunity.

Technical Abstract: Egg shells are poultry industry byproducts with potential for use in various biological and agricultural applications. We have been interested in the membranes underlying the calcareous shell, as a feed supplement which showed potential to t improve immunity and performance of post hatch poultry. . Therefore, to determine their protein and peptide profiles, we extracted the eggshell membranes (ESM) from fresh unfertilized eggs with methanol and guanidine hydrochloride (GdHCl) to obtain soluble proteins for analysis by mass spectrometry. The methanol extract was subjected to matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), electrospray ionization (ESI), high performance reverse phase liquid chromatographic separation (HPLC) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to determine its peptide and protein profiles. The guanidine hydrochloride extract was subjected to ESI-HPLC-MS/MS following trypsinization of reduced/alkylated proteins. Nine proteins from the methanol extract and >275 proteins from the GdHCl extract were tentatively identified. The results suggested the presence of several abundant proteins from egg whites, such as, ovoalbumin, ovotransferrin, and lysozyme as well as many others associated with antimicrobial activity, muscle activity, cytoskeletal organizational, signaling, and enzymes. Collagens, keratin, agrin, and laminin were some of the structural proteins present in the ESM. The methanol soluble fraction contained several clusterin peptides and defensins particularly 2 isoforms of gallin. The ratios of the 2 isoforms of gallin differed between the membranes obtained from brown and white eggs. The high abundance of several anti-microbial, immunomodulatory,and other bioactive proteins in the ESM along with its potential to entrap various microbes and antigens may make it an ideal vehicle to provoke oral immunization of post hatch poultry and improve their disease resistance.