Multi-Omics Analysis to Generate Hypotheses for Mild Health Problems in Monkeys.

Certain symptoms associated with mild sickness and lethargy have not been categorized as definitive diseases. Confirming such symptoms in captive monkeys (Macaca fascicularis, known as cynomolgus monkeys) can be difficult; however, it is possible to observe and analyze their feces. In this study, we investigated the relationship between stool state and various omics data by considering objective and quantitative values of stool water content as a phenotype for analysis. By examining the food intake of the monkeys and assessing their stool, urine, and plasma, we attempted to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the health status of individual monkeys and correlate it with the stool condition. Our metabolomics data strongly suggested that many lipid-related metabolites were correlated with the stool water content. The lipidomic analysis revealed the involvement of saturated and oxidized fatty acids, metallomics revealed the contribution of selenium (a bio-essential trace element), and intestinal microbiota analysis revealed the association of several bacterial species with the stool water content. Based on our results, we hypothesize that the redox imbalance causes minor health problems. However, it is not possible to make a definite conclusion using multi-omics alone, and other hypotheses could be proposed.

Analysis of O-glycoforms of the IgA1 hinge region by sequential deglycosylation.

A common renal disease, immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy (IgAN), is associated with glomerular deposition of IgA1-containing immune complexes. IgA1 hinge region (HR) has up to six clustered O-glycans consisting of Ser/Thr-linked N-acetylgalactosamine with ß1,3-linked galactose and variable sialylation. IgA1 glycoforms with some galactose-deficient (Gd) HR O-glycans play a key role in IgAN pathogenesis. The clustered and variable O-glycans make the IgA1 glycomic analysis challenging and better approaches are needed. Here, we report a comprehensive analytical workflow for IgA1 HR O-glycoform analysis. We combined an automated quantitative analysis of the HR O-glycopeptide profiles with sequential deglycosylation to remove all but Gd O-glycans from the HR. The workflow was tested using serum IgA1 from healthy subjects. Twelve variants of glycopeptides corresponding to the HR with three to six O-glycans were detected; nine glycopeptides carried up to three Gd O-glycans. Sites with Gd O-glycans were unambiguously identified by electron-transfer/higher-energy collision dissociation tandem mass spectrometry. Extracted ion chromatograms of isomeric glycoforms enabled quantitative assignment of Gd sites. The most frequent Gd site was T236, followed by S230, T233, T228, and S232. The new workflow for quantitative profiling of IgA1 HR O-glycoforms with site-specific resolution will enable identification of pathogenic IgA1 HR O-glycoforms in IgAN.

Supercritical fluid chromatography/Orbitrap mass spectrometry based lipidomics platform coupled with automated lipid identification software for accurate lipid profiling.

We developed a practical analytical system for high-throughput and comprehensive lipid profiling using a supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) system coupled to an Orbitrap Fourier transform mass spectrometer (Orbitrap FT-MS). Using our SFC method, polar lipid molecular species were separated based on not only their fatty acyl moieties but also their polar head groups, using a single octadecylsilyl (ODS) column. In addition, because automatic data processing software was used for the identification of lipid molecular species, the analysis time including data processing was about a half an hour per sample. A variety of lipid molecular species were detected in mouse plasma, and isomers which often co-elute in reverse phase separation were identified accurately and quantified individually. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the chromatographic separation of lipids based on both fatty acyl moieties and polar head groups, using a single ODS column. Our results demonstrate that SFC/MS is a powerful tool for the simultaneous analysis of diverse lipid molecular species.

Development of a lipid profiling system using reverse-phase liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry with rapid polarity switching and an automated lipid identification software.

Lipidomics requires accurate lipid profiling, which until recently has been challenging at best. In the present study, we developed a practical workflow for high-throughput and exhaustive lipid profiling by combining reverse-phase liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole orbitrap Fourier transform mass spectrometry, with an automated lipid identification software. This validated method enables highly sensitive and simultaneous analysis of lipids with varying polarities such as glycerophospholipids and sphingophospholipids, by switching the acquisition polarities in mass spectrometry. In addition, it facilitates data-dependent MS(2) analysis targeting the lipid molecular species without any influence from other ions by setting the inclusion list, the target m/z list for the product ion scanning. The m/z values of the target lipid molecular species, stored in the database of Lipid Search software, are added to the inclusion list. Moreover, optimizing the identification conditions of the software for the LC/MS system enables high-throughput and accurate identification of lipid molecular species existing in biological samples. Specifically, LC separation is essential for accurate identification of lipid molecular species that possess some fatty acid chains, because it can be difficult to determine fatty acid chain composition of detected molecular species especially in triacylglycerol compounds in direct infusion mass spectrometry. This method has high reproducibility and can be used for structural analysis even for low-abundance compounds. Using this method, over 400 lipid compounds targeted in this research were detected and identified from a sample of mouse plasma. This result indicates that the LC/MS method in the present study enables efficient lipid profiling.