A Sensitive Analytical Method for Quantifying Petromyzonol Sulfate in Water as a Potential Tool for Population Monitoring of the Southern Pouched Lamprey, Geotria Australis, in New Zealand Streams

Abstract

The migratory southern pouched lamprey, Geotria australis, is a culturally important fish native to New Zealand. Anecdotal evidence suggests that populations of G. australis have declined from historic levels, and presently, this species is rare in many New Zealand rivers and streams. Migratory sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) use a pheromone mixture to locate suitable spawning sites. This mixture is comprised of three steroids: petromyzonol sulfate (PS), petromyzonamine disulfate (PADS), and petromyzosterol disulfate (PSDS). We examined the migratory pheromone mixture released by G. australis ammocetes and found that they excrete predominantly PS. PADS has been detected on some occasions in low concentrations, and PSDS either is not released, or is released in extremely low concentrations. By using a recently developed sensitive mass spectrometry method, we compared passive sampling techniques against more traditional active water sampling as methods for estimating lamprey populations in local streams. Passive sampling provided quantitative data for PS from all sites surveyed, with uptake rates of 0.3 to 45.7 pg/day observed. Conversely, active sampling returned only one positive result out of 19 samples, and with a method detection limit of 2.5 × 10(-14) M, this suggests that concentrations of PS in these streams are either extremely low or variable. The combination of passive sampling and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry is a promising tool for monitoring of G. australis in New Zealand streams.

Phylogenetic distribution of a male pheromone that may exploit a nonsexual preference in lampreys

“…We suggest that the nonsexual migratory role of 3kPZS is conserved among lampreys based upon our and others' results. The chemicals released by larvae that guide migration, including 3kPZS (Robinson et al ., ; Yun et al ., ; Buchinger et al ., ; Brant et al ., , ), appear shared among lampreys (Fine et al ., ; Stewart & Baker, ). Indeed, all species tested detected 3kPZS, including those that do not use 3kPZS as a sexual signal (Siefkes & Li, ; Robinson et al ., ; Yun et al ., ).…”

Discovery and characterization of natural products that act as pheromones in fish

“…Chemical ecologists studying fish usually use SPE in columns, although Stewart and Baker describe a method that uses passive sampling of pheromones. 72 Overall, the objective is to capture the biological activity from the original sample while also collecting a large quantity of compounds to pass through fractionation and bioassays.…”

A Rapid, Sensitive, and Selective Method for Quantitation of Lamprey Migratory Pheromones in River Water

“…A pre-concentration factor of 200 equates to "in water" PQL of 0.25 ng/l for PS and PADS and 2.5 ng/l for PSDS, corresponding to molar concentrations of 5×10 −13 M, 7.5×10 −13 M and 6.25×10 −12 M for PS, PADS and PSDS, respectively. However, greater pre-concentration steps also are applicable, and a 4000-fold pre-concentration-as has been used in water sampling of streams (Stewart and Baker, 2011)-equates to "in water" molar PQLs of 2.5×10 −14 M, 3.75×10 −14 M, and 3.125×10 −13 M for PS, PADS, and PSDS, respectively. The analysis is fully automated, is not labor intensive, and can process many samples in a short period of time.…”