title: Direct peptide profiling of brain tissue by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.
abstract: Direct MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric peptide profiling is increasingly used to analyze the peptide complement in the nervous system of a variety of invertebrate animals from leech to Aplysia and many arthropod species, especially insects and crustaceans. Here, we describe a protocol for direct peptide profiling of defined areas of the central nervous system of insects. With this method, one can routinely and reliably obtain neuropeptide signatures of selected brain areas from various insects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-University, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schachtner
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wegener
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Neupert
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Predel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001048:Aplysia / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry*; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides