Single embryo and oocyte lipid fingerprinting by mass spectrometry.
Methods used for lipid analysis in embryos and oocytes usually involve selective lipid extraction from a pool of many samples followed by chemical manipulation, separation and characterization of individual components by chromatographic techniques. Herein we report direct analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) of single and intact embryos or oocytes from various species. Biological samples were simply moisturized with the matrix solution and characteristic lipid (represented by phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins and triacylglycerols) profiles were obtained via MALDI-MS. As representative examples, human, bovine, sheep and fish oocytes, as well as bovine and insect embryos were analyzed. MALDI-MS is shown to be capable of providing characteristic lipid profiles of gametes and embryos and also to respond to modifications due to developmental stages and in vitro culture conditions of bovine embryos. Investigation in developmental biology of the biological roles of structural and reserve lipids in embryos and oocytes should therefore benefit from these rapid MALDI-MS profiles from single and intact species.
Ferreira
Christina R
CR
Thomson Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil. christina@iqm.unicamp.br
Saraiva
Sergio A
SA
Catharino
Rodrigo R
RR
Garcia
Jerusa S
JS
Gozzo
Fabio C
FC
Sanvido
Gustavo B
GB
Santos
Luiz Fernando A
LF
Lo Turco
Edson G
EG
Pontes
José Henrique F
JH
Basso
Andréa C
AC
Bertolla
Ricardo P
RP
Sartori
Roberto
R
Guardieiro
Monique M
MM
Perecin
Felipe
F
Meirelles
Flávio V
FV
Sangalli
Juliano R
JR
Eberlin
Marcos N
MN
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000196:embryology; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D013045:Species Specificity; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*
D008055:Lipids