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Quantitative measurement of fathead minnow vitellogenin by liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry using a signature peptide of vitellogenin
Author(s) -
Zhang Fagen,
Bartels Michael J.,
Brodeur Julie C.,
Woodburn Kent B.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1897/03-425
Subject(s) - vitellogenin , chromatography , chemistry , benzamidine , mass spectrometry , minnow , tandem mass spectrometry , liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry , triple quadrupole mass spectrometer , selected reaction monitoring , vitellogenins , biology , enzyme , biochemistry , fish <actinopterygii> , embryo , vitellogenesis , fishery , oocyte , gene , microbiology and biotechnology
Vitellogenin (VTG) has been proposed as a sensitive biomarker of exposure to environmental estrogenic contaminants that induce VTG production in oviparous species. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods are currently widely used to measure the VTG levels. In this paper, a new liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI‐MS/MS) method for the quantitative analysis of VTG in the plasma of fathead minnows exposed to 17α‐ethinylestradiol (EE 2 ) has been developed. This method includes, first, the selection of the signature peptide, which involves sodium dodecyl sulfate‐poly‐arylamide gel electrophoresis separation, in‐gel digestion, LC/ESI‐MS/MS analysis with an ion trap mass spectrometer, and sequence determination with the TurboSEQUEST MS/MS database application; second, optimization of the selected signature peptide in multireaction monitor (MRM) mode with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer; and third, trypsin digestion of plasma and VTG quantitation via MRM‐mode LC/ESI‐MS/MS. A series of plasma samples from fathead minnows following exposure to EE 2 was assayed. A good correlation was found when EE 2 ‐induced plasma samples from fathead minnows were analyzed with ELISA and the described new method. Although used here with fathead minnow, the new LC/ESI‐MS/MS method could be easily applied to the analysis of VTG expressed in any other fish species. Quantitation of VTG by this method was found to be highly specific and linear. The absence of potential artifactual measurements of VTG at low exposure levels could also be critical in future studies that evaluate weakly estrogenic compounds in aquatic species.