title: Fatty acid methyl ester profiles of bat wing surface lipids.
abstract: Sebocytes are specialized epithelial cells that rupture to secrete sebaceous lipids (sebum) across the mammalian integument. Sebum protects the integument from UV radiation, and maintains host microbial communities among other functions. Native glandular sebum is composed primarily of triacylglycerides (TAG) and wax esters (WE). Upon secretion (mature sebum), these lipids combine with minor cellular membrane components comprising total surface lipids. TAG and WE are further cleaved to smaller molecules through oxidation or host enzymatic digestion, resulting in a complex mixture of glycerolipids (e.g., TAG), sterols, unesterified fatty acids (FFA), WE, cholesteryl esters, and squalene comprising surface lipid. We are interested if fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiling of bat surface lipid could predict species specificity to the cutaneous fungal disease, white nose syndrome (WNS). We collected sebaceous secretions from 13 bat spp. using Sebutape(®) and converted them to FAME with an acid catalyzed transesterification. We found that Sebutape(®) adhesive patches removed ~6× more total lipid than Sebutape(®) indicator strips. Juvenile eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) had significantly higher 18:1 than adults, but 14:0, 16:1, and 20:0 were higher in adults. FAME profiles among several bat species were similar. We concluded that bat surface lipid FAME profiling does not provide a robust model predicting species susceptibility to WNS. However, these results provide baseline data that can be used for lipid roles in future ecological studies, such as life history, diet, or migration.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program of Environmental Science, Arkansas State University, P.O. Box 847, Jonesboro, AR, 72467, USA, elp44@georgetown.edu.
authors.forename: Evan L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Pannkuk
authors.forename: Nathan W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Fuller
authors.forename: Patrick R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: David F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Gilmore
authors.forename: Brett J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Savary
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Risch
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000145:classification; D002788:Cholesterol Esters / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D004952:Esters / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D012629:Sebum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013185:Squalene / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D013261:Sterols / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002788:Cholesterol Esters; D004952:Esters; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D006017:Glycolipids; D008055:Lipids; D013261:Sterols; D013185:Squalene