Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States of America.
Bindley Bioscience Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2021 Jul 19;16(7):e0253916. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253916. eCollection 2021.
In this study, we applied multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-profiling to explore the relative ion intensity of lipid classes in plasma samples from sea turtles in order to profile lipids relevant to sea turtle physiology and investigate how dynamic ocean environments affect these profiles. We collected plasma samples from foraging green (Chelonia mydas, n = 28) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata, n = 16) turtles live captured in North Pacific Costa Rica in 2017. From these samples, we identified 623 MRMs belonging to 10 lipid classes (sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, free fatty acid, cholesteryl ester, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, ceramide, and triacylglyceride) and one metabolite group (acyl-carnitine) present in sea turtle plasma. The relative ion intensities of most lipids (80%) were consistent between species, across seasons, and were not correlated to body size or estimated sex. Of the differences we observed, the most pronounced was the differences in relative ion intensity between species. We identified 123 lipids that had species-specific relative ion intensities. While some of this variability is likely due to green and hawksbill turtles consuming different food items, we found indications of a phylogenetic component as well. Of these, we identified 47 lipids that varied by season, most belonging to the structural phospholipid classes. Overall, more lipids (n = 39) had higher relative ion intensity in the upwelling (colder) season compared to the non-upwelling season (n = 8). Further, we found more variability in hawksbill turtles than green turtles. Here, we provide the framework in which to apply future lipid profiling in the assessment of health, physiology, and behavior in endangered sea turtles.
在这项研究中，我们应用多重反应监测（MRM）-谱分析来探索海龟血浆样本中脂质类别的相对离子强度，以描绘与海龟生理学相关的脂质，并研究动态海洋环境如何影响这些图谱。我们收集了 2017 年在北太平洋哥斯达黎加生活捕获的觅食绿海龟（Chelonia mydas，n = 28）和玳瑁（Eretmochelys imbricata，n = 16）的血浆样本。从这些样本中，我们鉴定出 623 个属于 10 个脂质类别的 MRM（神经鞘磷脂、磷脂酰胆碱、游离脂肪酸、胆固醇酯、磷脂酰丝氨酸、磷脂酰肌醇、磷脂酰甘油、磷脂酰乙醇胺、神经酰胺和三酰甘油）和一个代谢物组（酰基肉碱）存在于海龟血浆中。大多数脂质（80%）的相对离子强度在物种间、季节间是一致的，与体型或估计性别无关。在我们观察到的差异中，最显著的是物种间的相对离子强度差异。我们鉴定出 123 种具有物种特异性相对离子强度的脂质。虽然这种变异性可能部分归因于绿海龟和玳瑁海龟食用不同的食物，但我们也发现了进化成分的迹象。在这些差异中，我们确定了 47 种脂质随季节而变化，其中大多数属于结构磷脂类。总的来说，在上升流（较冷）季节，有 39 种脂质（n = 39）的相对离子强度高于非上升流季节（n = 8）。此外，我们发现玳瑁海龟比绿海龟的变化更大。在这里，我们提供了一个框架，以应用未来的脂质谱分析来评估濒危海龟的健康、生理学和行为。
