Serum Protein Analysis of Nurse Sharks

Abstract

Serum protein electrophoresis (EPH) is used to assess relative concentrations of blood proteins in clinical and biological studies. Serum EPH fractions have been determined for elasmobranchs using mammalian albumin, alpha 1‐, alpha 2‐, beta‐, and gamma‐globulin fractions, and have been deemed fractions 1 through 5, respectively. However, serum EPH fraction concentration reference intervals (RIs) have not been widely established for different elasmobranch species. In this study, RIs for fractions 1 through 5 were determined from 45 wild‐caught Nurse Sharks Ginglymostoma cirratum (27 females and 23 males) in South Florida. Serum samples were isolated from whole blood following caudal venipuncture. Body condition was also measured in the field to assess the relative health of the individuals sampled. There was no relationship between body condition and serum EPH fraction concentrations. In addition, there was no difference in body condition or serum EPH fraction concentrations between females and males. Total solids and total protein values were significantly different (P < 0.001). Nurse Shark serum EPH fraction 1 was found within the mammalian albumin migrating band distance and was negligible. Fraction 2 showed no peak in the mammalian alpha 1‐globulin range. A thin, medium peak in the mammalian alpha 2‐globulin range represented fraction 3. In the mammalian beta‐globulin range, fraction 4 consisted of the majority of protein observed. It was represented by a smooth, broad peak. A short, medium broad peak in the mammalian gamma‐globulin range represented fraction 5. The Nurse Shark serum EPH fraction RIs provided in this study may be utilized to clinically evaluate the health of Nurse Sharks in captivity and in the wild, and to compare the health of their populations around the world experiencing various anthropogenic stressors and other environmental impacts.

Protein electrophoresis of non‐traditional species: A review

“…141 Agarose gel electrophoresis has also been used to describe the plasma proteins of other species, including the Atlantic sharpnose, spiny dogfish, bamboo, and nurse sharks. [142][143][144] The diversity in the protein electrophoretogram is reflected by the spotted eagle ray and bamboo shark (Figure 7). While an albumin migrating fraction is apparent in the ray, the same fraction represents <5% of the plasma protein in the shark species.…”

Variation of body condition and plasma energy substrates with life stage, sex, and season in wild‐sampled nurse sharks Ginglymostoma cirratum

“…Despite its abundance, G. cirratum is listed as "Data Deficient" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to a lack of information on its population dynamics and connectivity (Rosa et al, 2006). The body condition and some plasma metabolites of G. cirratum have been measured in prior research (i.e., AtallahBenson et al, 2020;Gallagher et al, 2017a;, however, intra-annual and intraspecific variation within this population has yet to be explored. Moreover, measures of ketone bodies in this species have not been assessed, despite their importance to elasmobranch energetics.…”

Increasing the data on elasmobranch plasma protein electrophoresis: electrophoretogram reference values determination in the undulate skate (Raja Undulata) and the nursehound shark (Scyliorhinus stellaris) maintained under human care

“…Our PPE study revealed low quantities of proteins migrating in the pre-albumin region of the electrophoretogram for undulate skates (median 0.44% and 0.13 g/l) and nursehounds (median 0.64% and 0.17 g/l), which may contain high-density proteins as described in other elasmobranchs, and which we characterized as “Fraction 1” following the classification established in previous PPE studies with elasmobranchs in an effort to standardize electrophoretogram fractions for these species [ 3 , 22 ]. Low percentages and concentrations for fraction 1 agree with previous PPE studies with elasmobranchs which also reported similar values for this fraction: 1.30% and0.30 g/l in the Atlantic sharpnose shark, 0.71% and0.20 g/l in the bonnethead shark [ 5 ].…”

“…Samples were selected to form part of the RI after the detailed evaluation of every animal’s medical history and the completion of physical examinations (which included a hematological and biochemical analysis) to evaluate the condition of each individual sampled. For this study, we divided the electrophoretogram into several fractions following the guidelines established in previous studies with elasmobranchs, which already defined five different fractions in ray and shark species [ 3 , 4 , 9 , 22 , 23 ]. Caution was taken to delete the injection peak and the end delimiter produced by the urine buffer before electrophoretogram interpretation and division into fractions for its analysis.…”