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Evaluation of Physiological Amino Acids Profiling by Tandem Mass Spectrometry

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JIMD Reports - Case and Research Reports, Volume 13

Part of the book series: JIMD Reports ((JIMD,volume 13))

Abstract

Background: Nowadays, the most conventional method to quantify physiological amino acids consists in ion exchange chromatography (IEC) followed by post-column ninhydrin derivatization and UV detection at two wavelengths. Unfortunately, the technique presents some drawbacks such as long run time, large sample volume, and specific costs associated to the maintenance of a dedicated instrument. Therefore, we aimed to switch towards a mass spectrometry approach.

Methods: We have tested the aTRAQ kit for Amino Acid Analysis of Physiological Fluids (AB Sciex), affording the selective quantification of about 40 amino acids, and present here the results of our assessments.

Results: Outlined accuracy profiles for each amino acid demonstrated very reliable data. A good linearity was observed from 1 to 1,000 μmol/L. Results comparison with IEC showed a right concordance. Reference intervals established were very similar to those obtained by IEC and patients suffering from inborn error of metabolism have been readily identified.

Conclusions: The present approach offers a valid alternative to the IEC method, with several advantages: lower sample volume, run time reduction, and improved specificity. However, the aTRAQ method requires minute data reviewing, expending the overall time of procedure. Finally, financial and practical considerations of both techniques have to be counterbalanced before engaging any transition.

Competing interests: None declared

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Abbreviations

1MHis:

1-Methylhistidine

3MHis:

3-Methylhistidine

Aad:

Alpha-Aminoadipate

Abu:

Alpha-Aminobutyrate

Ala:

Alanine

Ans:

Anserine

Arg:

Arginine

Asa:

Argininosuccinate

Asn:

Asparagine

Asp:

Aspartate

bAib:

Beta-Aminoisobutyrate

bAla:

Beta-Alanine

BSA:

Bovine Serum Albumin

Car:

Carnosine

Cit:

Citrulline

Cth:

Cystathionine

Cys:

Cystine

ERNDIM:

European Research Network for evaluation and improvement of screening Diagnosis and treatment of Inherited disorders of Metabolism

EtN:

Ethanolamine

GABA:

Gamma Aminobutyrate

Gln:

Glutamine

Glu:

Glutamate

Gly:

Glycine

Hcit:

Homocitrulline

Hcy:

Homocystine

His:

Histidine

HPLC:

High Pressure Liquid Chromatography

Hyl:

Hydroxylysine

Hyp:

Hydroxyproline

IEC:

Ion Exchange Chromatography

IEM:

Inborn Error of Metabolism

Ile:

Isoleucine

IS:

Internal Standard

Leu:

Leucine

Lys:

Lysine

Met:

Methionine

MRM:

Multiple Reaction Monitoring

MS:

Mass Spectrometry

Nle:

Norleucine

Nva:

Norvaline

Orn:

Ornithine

PEtN:

Phosphoethanolamine

Phe:

Phenylalanine

Pro:

Proline

PSer:

Phosphoserine

Sar:

Sarcosine

Ser:

Serine

Tau:

Taurine

Thr:

Threonine

Trp:

Tryptophane

Tyr:

Tyrosine

Val:

Valine

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biochemical Genetics Laboratory, Human Genetics, CHU Liege, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium

    Romain Filee, Roland Schoos & François Boemer

  2. Biochemical Genetics Laboratory, CHU Sart-Tilman, University of Liege, 4000, Liege, Belgium

    François Boemer

Authors
  1. Romain Filee
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  2. Roland Schoos
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  3. François Boemer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to François Boemer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Human Genetics, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Johannes Zschocke

  2. Clinical Pharmacology Unit, WSU Division of Health Sciences, Spokane, USA

    K. Michael Gibson

  3. Department of Biochemistry Genetics Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Garry Brown

  4. Department of Pediatrics IGMD, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

    Eva Morava

  5. Center for Child and Adolescent Medicine Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany

    Verena Peters

Additional information

Communicated by: Bridget Wilcken

Electronic Supplementary Material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Article aTRAQ - Supplemental Data (DOCX 97KB)

Appendices

Synopsis

Validation of the aTRAQ assay for Amino Acid Analysis in Physiological Fluids.

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

Disclosure

Romain FILEE, Roland SCHOOS, and François BOEMER declare no conflict of interest.

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Filee, R., Schoos, R., Boemer, F. (2013). Evaluation of Physiological Amino Acids Profiling by Tandem Mass Spectrometry. In: Zschocke, J., Gibson, K., Brown, G., Morava, E., Peters, V. (eds) JIMD Reports - Case and Research Reports, Volume 13. JIMD Reports, vol 13. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/8904_2013_265

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/8904_2013_265

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-54148-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-54149-0

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