title: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry of cuticular lipid profiles can differentiate sex, age, and mating status of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes.
abstract: Malaria is a devastating mosquito-borne disease, which affects hundreds of millions of people each year. It is transmitted predominantly by Anopheles gambiae, whose females must be >10 days old to become infective. In this study, cuticular lipids from a laboratory strain of this mosquito species were analyzed using a mass spectrometry method to evaluate their utility for age, sex and mating status differentiation. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), in conjunction with an acenaphthene/silver nitrate matrix preparation, was shown to be 100% effective in classifying A. gambiae females into 1, 7-10, and 14 days of age. MALDI-MS analysis, supported by multivariate statistical methods, was also effective in detecting cuticular lipid differences between the sexes and between virgin and mated females. The technique requires further testing, but the obtained results suggest that MALDI-MS cuticular lipid spectra could be used for age grading of A. gambiae females with precision greater than with other available methods.
authors: Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, United States.
authors: Estrella
authors: E
authors: Suarez
authors: Hien P
authors: HP
authors: Nguyen
authors: Israel P
authors: IP
authors: Ortiz
authors: Kyu Jong
authors: KJ
authors: Lee
authors: Seoung Bum
authors: SB
authors: Kim
authors: Jaroslaw
authors: J
authors: Krzywinski
authors: Kevin A
authors: KA
authors: Schug
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000378:metabolism*; D003307:Copulation; D005260:Female; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D012834:Silver