title: Sebaceous lipid profiling of bat integumentary tissues: quantitative analysis of free Fatty acids, monoacylglycerides, squalene, and sterols.
abstract: White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans and is devastating North American bat populations. Sebaceous lipids secreted from host integumentary tissues are implicated in the initial attachment and recognition of host tissues by pathogenic fungi. We are interested in determining if ratios of lipid classes in sebum can be used as biomarkers to diagnose severity of fungal infection in bats. To first establish lipid compositions in bats, we isolated secreted and integral lipid fractions from the hair and wing tissues of three species: big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), Eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis), and evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis). Sterols, FFAs, MAGs, and squalene were derivatized as trimethylsilyl esters, separated by gas chromatography, and identified by mass spectrometry. Ratios of sterol to squalene in different tissues were determined, and cholesterol as a disease biomarker was assessed. Free sterol was the dominant lipid class of bat integument. Squalene/sterol ratio is highest in wing sebum. Secreted wing lipid contained higher proportions of saturated FFAs and MAGs than integral wing or secreted hair lipid. These compounds are targets for investigating responses of P. destructans to specific host lipid compounds and as biomarkers to diagnose WNS.
authors: Graduate Program of Environmental Science, Arkansas State University, P.O. Box 847, State University, AR 72467, USA (phone: +1(870) 972-2007, fax: +1(870) 972-3827). evan.pannkuk@smail.astate.edu.
authors: Evan L
authors: EL
authors: Pannkuk
authors: David F
authors: DF
authors: Gilmore
authors: Nathan W
authors: NW
authors: Fuller
authors: Brett J
authors: BJ
authors: Savary
authors: Thomas S
authors: TS
authors: Risch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000502:physiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D050178:Monoglycerides / Q000032:analysis*; D012629:Sebum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013185:Squalene / Q000032:analysis*; D013261:Sterols / Q000032:analysis*; D014297:Trimethylsilyl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D050178:Monoglycerides; D013261:Sterols; D014297:Trimethylsilyl Compounds; D013185:Squalene
keywords: Bat integument; Fungal infection; Lipids; White-nose syndrome