Improvement of mosquito identification by MALDI-TOF MS biotyping using protein signatures from two body parts

Abstract

BackgroundMatrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry technology (MALDI-TOF MS) is an innovative tool that has been shown to be effective for the identification of numerous arthropod groups including mosquitoes. A critical step in the implementation of MALDI-TOF MS identification is the creation of spectra databases (DB) for the species of interest. Mosquito legs were the body part most frequently used to create identification DB. However, legs are one of the most fragile mosquito compartments, which can put identification at risk. Here, we assessed whether mosquito thoraxes could also be used as a relevant body part for mosquito species identification using a MALDI-TOF MS biotyping strategy; we propose a double DB query strategy to reinforce identification success.MethodsThoraxes and legs from 91 mosquito specimens belonging to seven mosquito species collected in six localities from Guadeloupe, and two laboratory strains, Aedes aegypti BORA and Aedes albopictus Marseille, were dissected and analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. Molecular identification using cox1 gene sequencing was also conducted on representative specimens to confirm their identification.ResultsMS profiles obtained with both thoraxes and legs were highly compartment-specific, species-specific and species-reproducible, allowing high identification scores (log-score values, LSVs) when queried against the in-house MS reference spectra DB (thorax LSVs range: 2.260–2.783, leg LSVs range: 2.132–2.753).ConclusionsBoth thoraxes and legs could be used for a double DB query in order to reinforce the success and accuracy of MALDI-TOF MS identification.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3157-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Identification of French Guiana anopheline mosquitoes by MALDI-TOF MS profiling using protein signatures from two body parts

“…MS spectra of legs and thoraxes from the 15 specimens used for MSP dendrogram analysis (Table 1), validated morphologically and molecularly, were added to our MS spectra database (DB) including already legs and thoraxes reference MS spectra from eight distinct mosquito species [38]. The legs and thoraxes MS spectra from the 96 remaining specimens were queried against this upgraded DB.…”

“…According to their availability, one to 22 specimens per Anopheles species were selected for molecular and MS analyses (Table 1). Legs and thoraxes from mosquitoes were dissected for MALDI-TOF MS analysis as previously described [38]. The abdomens, wings and heads were kept for molecular analyses.…”

“…MS spectra were created with an unbiased algorithm using information on the peak position, intensity and frequency. MS spectra from mosquito legs and thoraxes were tested against the in-house MS reference spectra DB, including already legs and thoraxes reference MS spectra from eight distinct mosquito species, but none from the Anopheles genus [38]. The reliability of species identification was estimated using the log score values (LSVs) obtained from the MALDI Biotyper software v.3.0, which ranged from 0 to 3.…”

“…This last study underlined that the query of these two body parts against the reference MS spectra database (DB) improved mosquito species identification with accuracy and confidence. This pioneering study assessed to distinct 7 mosquito species from 4 genera living in sympatry in Guadeloupe Island [38].…”

MALDI–MS Profiling to Address Honey Bee Health Status under Bacterial Challenge through Computational Modeling

“…Molecular mass fingerprinting (MFP) or signatures of biological matrices by MALDI–MS profiling is indeed a thriving approach, enabling the rapid detection of peptide/protein that can provide comparative information regarding immunity in Drosophila , insects’ appendices, and even from complex biological matrices. MALDI‐MS based peptidomics/proteomics typing has found practical applications in fingerprinting honeys to determine specific molecular signatures that classify honeys according to their geographical origins or to establish a robust proteomics mass fingerprint of sterile sperm chicken for diagnosis purpose …”