Development of an Analytical Method for the Metaproteomic Investigation of Bioaerosol from Work Environments

Abstract

The metaproteomic analysis of air particulate matter provides valuable information about the properties of bioaerosols in the atmosphere and their influence on climate and public health. In this work, a new method for the extraction and analysis of proteins in airborne particulate matter from quartz microfiber filters is developed. Different protein extraction procedures are tested to select the best extraction protocol based on protein recovery. The optimized method is tested for the extraction of proteins from spores of ubiquitous bacteria species and used for the metaproteomic characterization of filters from three work environments. In particular, ambient aerosol samples are collected in a composting plant, in a wastewater treatment plant, and in an agricultural holding. A total of 179, 15, 205, and 444 proteins are identified in composting plant, wastewater treatment plant, and agricultural holding, (cow stable and blending plant), respectively. In agreement with the major categories of primary biological aerosol particles, all identified proteins originated primarily from fungi, bacteria, and plants. The paper is the first metaproteomic study applied to bioaerosol samples collected in occupationally relevant environmental sites and, even though not aimed at monitoring the risk exposure of workers, it provides information on the possible exposure in the working environmental sites.

A rapid and innovative extraction and enrichment method for the metaproteomic characterization of dissolved organic matter in groundwater samples

“…The acquired raw MS/MS data files from Xcalibur software (version 2.2 SP1.48, Thermo Fisher Scientific) were searched by Proteome Discoverer software (version 1.3, Thermo Scientific), and the Mascot (v.2.3.2, Matrix Science) search engine, as previously described [24]. Spectra were searched by decoy strategy in the Swiss-Prot database, with no taxonomy (all entries, 557275 entries).…”

Bioaerosols in swine confinement buildings: A metaproteomic view

“…Nevertheless, the analysis of metaproteomes from environmental air samples is still a challenge. Thus, only a few studies have analysed the metaproteome and defined proteomic biomarkers within bioaerosols by mass spectrometric techniques so far (Druckenmüller et al, 2017; Liu et al, 2016; Piovesana et al, 2019). That is why the aim of this study was to apply a universal metaproteomic workflow for the detection of proteins from bioaerosol samples and, from an occupational safety and health perspective, to focus on the detection of proteins that could have infectious, sensitizing, or toxic effects on workers in swine barns.…”

Bioaerosols in Wastewater Treatment Plants: Trends, Recent Advances, and the Influence of SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak

“…Primary biological aerosols (PBAs), generally called bioaerosols, are aerosol particles comprised of living or dead organisms (e.g., bacteria), dispersal units (e.g., fungal spores), along with a variety of different biomolecules with an aerodynamic diameter ranging between 0 and 100 µm [8]. When bioaerosols are released into the air, the development and persistence of most microorganisms in bioaerosols depend on factors such as wind speed, relative humidity, oxygen content, and ultraviolet radiation [3].…”