New insights on the fragmentation of protonated amino acids involved in ammonia metabolism in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

摘要

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have spread significantly in recent years, increasing the risk of pathogen transmission in human. They have a unique metabolic machine to detoxify high ammonia concentrations released upon blood digestion [1,2]. During this process Glu, Gln, Ala and Pro play a critical role. Thus, better understanding of mosquito metabolism could allow researchers to find new targets for controlling their populations. By feeding mosquitoes with ~(13)C-glucose, we can explore how ~(13)C is incorporated into certain position(s) of each amino acid. Because the metabolic products will be shifted in their precursor mass and possibly in their fragment ion masses, MS/MS and accurate m/z measurements can be used to identify and further quantify each ~(13)C-amino acid in mosquitoes.